国际英语新闻:Rapporteur asks Brazilian committee to accept charges against president

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The rapporteur for a Brazilian lower house committee, Sergio Sveiter, on Monda recommended that the committee accept the corruption charges against President Michel Temer.

"For now, we have evidence that are serious or sufficient to accept the reception of the accusation," said Sveiter in his report. "We cannot be silenced. It is necessary to investigate the facts."

While he is a member of Temer's Brazilian Democracy Movement Party (PMDB), Sveiter said he would vote to accept the charges.

In order for the charges to stand, they must be accepted in two separate stages, first by the Chamber of Deputies' Commission on Constitution, Justice and Citizenship (CCJ) and then by the full Chamber.

After the reading of Sveiter's report, Temer's defense team was set to present its arguments to the CCJ.

From Wednesday, the members of the commission will begin debating the report before its 66 members vote.

Until now, no date has been set for the Commission's vote. However, according to a poll by O Globo, a leading Brazilian newspaper, 21 members of the CCJ are in favor of the charges, 13 want to reject them, 15 are uncertain and 17 did not respond.

Prosecutor-General Rodrigo Janot filed charges against Temer at the Supreme Court on June 26, accusing the president of accepting bribes from meatpacking group JBS since 2010.

Under Brazilian law, two-thirds of the lower house's 513 members must approve the charge against Temer before it moves to the Supreme Court. The top court then must vote on whether it accepts the charge.

If the Chamber of Deputies and the Supreme Court both accept the charges, Temer will step down from office for 180 days and face trial.