Roundup: Brazil's transparency minister resigns over leaked phone recording

Brazilian minister of transparency resigned on Monday evening after a recording revealed him criticizing a probe into graft at state oil giant Petrobras, in a fresh hit to the government of interim President Michel Temer.

Fabiano Silveira was the second minister to step down in the span of a week from Temer's government, which has been in power for 19 days following the suspension of President Dilma Rousseff for an impeachment trial.

Silveira, the man Temer tasked with fighting corruption since he took office on May 12, announced his plans to exit in a letter, according to the presidential palace's media office. No replacement for Silveira has yet been named.

The minister was caught on tape criticizing Operation Lava Jato (known as Operation Car Wash), which investigates corruption at oil giant Petrobras, and giving advice to two people accused of taking part in the corruption scheme.

In his resignation letter, Silveira said that the advice was generic and merely a statement of opinion. He said that none of his actions had sought to derail the investigation but argued that it would be better if he left office.

The recordings which compromised Silveira were made by Sergio Machado, former head of Petrobras' oil transportation subsidiary, Transpetro.

Machado has presented to the court a series of recordings which compromised some of the most important men in the new administration.

The first to fall was the Planning and Budget Minister, Romero Juca, who resigned May 23 after being caught on tape practically describing how the impeachment process could be a way to stop corruption investigations too close to allied politicians.

A number of recorded calls released over the past week showed Machado discussing the impeachment process with several politicians.

In the conversations, they openly talk about Rousseff's impeachment as a way to halt corruption investigations, corroborating the president's stance that the impeachment is, in fact, a coup which aims at protecting corrupt politicians in Brazil.

Besides the ministers' scandal, Temer has been severely criticized for his own decisions regarding the cabinet.

When he took office, the interim president decided to merge several ministries and cut others, such as the Culture and Human Rights Ministries, which were strong in Rousseff's administration.

The end of the Culture Ministry sparked an uproar among artists and intellectuals in Brazil, who staged massive protests until Temer revoked his decision.

He also took steps to reduce social programs dear to the former administration, such as housing program Minha Casa Minha Vida, which financed cheaper housing to the poor, and Fies, a program to finance college education in private universities with very low interest rates.

Temer's administration is theoretically provisionary, until Rousseff is submitted to a final trial on the impeachment, which is expected in September.

Machado's recordings, taken and leaked as part of a deal he reached with investigators, have shaken the foundations of Temer's Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB).

Temer and his party PMDB are regarded as the great masterminds of Rousseff's impeachment.

PMDB used to be the largest allied party in Rousseff's coalition, but they left the administration a month before the first impeachment vote, in a move to move away from a government in crisis.

Some South American governments have refused to acknowledge Temer's government.

Earlier Monday, a group of congressmen from the European Parliament filed a request for the European Union to halt ongoing negotiations for a trade agreement with Mercosur because they believe Temer's government is illegitimate. Endit