Michel Temer
President of Brazil Michel Temer speaks to the media at the Main Press Centre on Day 13 of the Rio 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 18, 2016. Getty Images/Chris Graythen

Brazilian President Michel Temer was accused of taking multimillion-dollar bribes by the top federal prosecutor Monday. The 64-page-long indictment looks to impeach the incumbent president if he does not resign first.

The formal accusation was brought by Attorney General Rodrigo Janot, who began investigation into Temer’s financial dealings in May 2017. Janot has alleged that between March and April of 2017, the Brazilian president took a bribe of around $150,000 from Joesly Batista, former chairman of meat-packing giant JBS.

"The circumstances of this meeting (with Batista) — at night and without any register in the official schedule of the president of the Republic — reveal the intent of not leaving traces of the criminal actions already taken," wrote Janot, ABC News reported.

Read: Call For Brazil President Michel Temer's Impeachment Grows, Trial To Begin June 6

The prosecutor has also claimed that Temer allegedly fielded $12 million in bribes over the last nine months, through “middlemen.” Janot came to know of Temer’s possible criminal intent when an audio recording surfaced earlier this year, which proved that he had endorsed illegal money being offered to former House Speaker Eduardo Cunha, a former Temer ally. Cunha is currently serving a 15-year sentence for corruption.

Several protesters set out on the streets of Sao Paulo city, Brazil at the time, raising slogans against the president saying, “Temer Out,” the Strait Times reported.

“We came here after the accusations that came out... We already knew, but now there is a video, there is proof that the president committed a crime,” said a protester.

Apart from Cunha, several other member of Temer’s cabinet, four former Brazilian presidents and a number of lawmakers are currently being investigated for various corruption schemes. Over 90 governmental officials and their allies have been convicted on criminal wrongdoing in the recent past, Reuters reported.

Read: Corruption In Brazil: President Michel Temer Says No Amnesty For Corrupt Politicians

Janot will be pressing charges for both corruption and the obstruction of justice in the case against Temer. Brazilian president’s office is yet to release an official statement on the matter.

Michel Temer
People protest against Brazil's interim president Michel Temer during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games women's football quarterfinal match between Canada and France at the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Aug. 12, 2016. Getty Images/MIGUEL SCHINCARIOL

Meanwhile, despite having knowledge of the criminal charges, Temer conducted his administrative duties as usual, claiming: “Nothing will destroy us. Not me and not our ministers," in a speech during the ceremonial signing of a bill in Brasília, the capital of Brazil.

Even though Temer has personally maintained that he is innocent, the control of the investigation lies in the hands of the Chamber of Deputies in Congress, who must now vote on whether to allow the prosecutor to put Temer under trial. This would be the second time in the last two years that the Congress will have to make such a decision.

Temer’s predecessor, Dilma Rousseff was impeached in August 2016 on similar charges. With 61 of the 81 Senate members voting in favor of impeaching Rousseff, 14 years of leftist rule in the largest country in Latin America came to an end.

Even as lawmakers within Temer's coalition have the votes required to block the two-third majority needed to proceed with a trial, there are chances that the lawmakers may consider cutting ties with the incumbent president yet again, like it did when Janot had opened the investigation last month.

"There will be a tug-of-war between the executive branch and society for support in Congress," said Fabiano Angelico, a Sao Paulo-based consultant, according to the ABC report.

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