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 RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) - Brazil's government has been shaken by a scandal involving prostitutes, suitcases full of lobbyists' cash and a violation of bank secrecy laws that brought down the finance minister.
The controversy has raised questions about whether the departure of the architect of Brazil's economic recovery will prompt President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to swing the country further to the left to get re-elected this year.
Silva quickly named a replacement Tuesday for the ousted finance chief, Antonio Palocci. New Finance Minister Guido Mantega moved to contain the damage by promising economic stability and to stay the course on Brazil's monetary policy aimed at paying down debt and taming inflation.
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