巴西總統否認支持行賄

Brazilian President Michel Temer has denied a newspaper report that said he endorsed paying a jailed former congressman to remain silent in a bribery investigation.

The O Globo newspaper published a story Wednesday it said was based on a secret recording made during a meeting between Michel Temer and businessman Joesley Batista.

The report said that when Batista told the president he was paying former Speaker of the House Eduardo Cunha to keep quiet, Temer responded, "You have to keep that up, all right?"

A statement from Temer's office confirmed that he met with Batista, but said he never solicited payments.

Cunha led the impeachment fight that ousted former President Dilma Rousseff last year and brought Temer to power.

Cunha was later imprisoned on a 15-year sentence for corruption in an embezzlement scandal involving the state-owned Petrobras oil company, and has indicated he could implicate others.

Wednesday's report brought some calls for Temer's resignation as well as protests in Sao Paolo.巴西總統特梅爾否認一家報紙所報道的，他在一項行賄調查中支持向一名入獄的國會議員支付封口費。

巴西《環球報》星期三發表的報道是基於巴西商人若埃斯利·巴蒂斯塔今年３月錄下的與特梅爾交談時的錄音。

這篇報道說，當時巴蒂斯塔告訴總統說，他將向入獄的前衆議院議長庫尼亞支付封口費，讓他保持沉默。特梅爾迴應道，“你一定要繼續那樣做，知道嗎？”

來自特梅爾總統辦公室的一份聲明證實，總統曾經會晤巴蒂斯塔，但是表示他從來沒有索求支付封口費。

庫尼亞去年領導了廢黜前總統羅塞夫的彈劾案，並使得特梅爾上臺。

庫尼亞後來因爲挪用公款的腐敗醜聞而被判15年徒刑，他曾表示他可能供出其他人。

星期三的報道引發一些要求特梅爾總統辭職的呼聲，以及在聖保羅的抗議活動。