Impeachment of Fernando Collor
The impeachment of Fernando Collor, the 32th president of Brazil, began on September 29, 1992, when the Chamber of Deputies approved the opening of impeachment procedures with 441 votes in favor. On December 29, 1992, when the trial began in the Federal Senate, Collor resigned in a letter read out by lawyer José Moura Rocha to avoid impeachment. However, the following day, Collor was sentenced to be disqualified from holding public office for eight years by 76 votes in favor and 2 against. It was Brazil's third impeachment trial; in 1955, Presidents Carlos Luz and Café Filho were also impeached.
| Impeachment of Fernando Collor | |
|---|---|
Fernando Collor leaves the presidency. | |
| Accused | Fernando Collor de Mello, President of Brazil |
| Date | 29 September 1992 – 29 December 1992 (3 months) |
| Outcome | Concluded by impeachment on December 29, 1992 Consequences: Collor lost his political rights for 8 years and Vice-President Itamar Franco assumed office. |
| Charges | Crime of liability |
| Congressional votes | |
| Voting in the Chamber of Deputies committee | |
| Votes in favor | 16 |
| Votes against | 5 |
| Result | Approved |
| Voting in the Chamber of Deputies | |
| Votes in favor | 441 |
| Votes against | 38 |
| Not voting | 1 |
| Result | Approved |
| Voting in the Senate committee | |
| Votes in favor | 32 |
| Votes against | 1 |
| Not voting | 1 |
| Result | Approved |
| Voting in the Federal Senate | |
| Votes in favor | 76 |
| Votes against | 2 |
| Result | Approved |
During the political campaign for the 1989 elections, Paulo César Farias was treasurer of the presidential team of Fernando Collor de Mello and Itamar Franco. After the victory, PC Farias became involved in several areas of government and organized and led a huge corruption scheme. In an interview with Veja magazine in May 1992, Pedro Collor denounced Fernando Collor for being directly involved in the PC Farias Scheme. The investigation revealed that those involved collected around 15 million reais and spent more than a billion reais during Fernando Collor's government.