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 SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) - The top financial officer for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's party Wednesday denied paying off congressmen to keep the fragile governing coalition alive, making a bid to contain political damage from an alleged bribes-for-votes scandal.
After meeting for hours behind closed doors with party leaders, Workers Party treasurer Delubio Soares spoke publicly for the first time since the scandal, saying the party has never made payments "into the accounts of congressmen in exchange for their votes or support for government initiatives."
Soares told a news conference at party headquarters in Sao Paulo he was a victim of "political blackmail" by conspirators he did not name.
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