Something To Celebrate? Police Arrest 33 At Brazi Tourism Ministry
BRASILIA, Brazil -- Police arrested 33 people at Brazil's Tourism Ministry on allegations of corruption Tuesday and sought at least five more officials.
Among those arrested was the ministry's No. 2 official, Frederico Silva da Costa.
Paulo de Tarso Teixeira, director of Brazil's federal police, said the alleged corruption involved a $1.85 million scheme of paying the Sao Paulo-based Ibrasi institute to train 1,900 people in tourism.
Instead of being used for training, the money was allegedly kicked back to officials at the Tourism Ministry, Ibrasi and other companies, Teixeira said.
A series of corruption scandals has hit the young government of President Dilma Rousseff.
Since taking office Jan. 1, Rousseff's chief of staff, Antonio Palocci, was forced from his post in June amid questions over how his personal wealth soared while he was a legislator in 2006-10.
The Transportation Minister Alfredo Nascimento was removed from his post in July, as were more than two dozen officials in the ministry who were linked to a purported kickback and overbilling scheme.
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08/ 9/11 06:26 PM ET Associated Press