Tuesday, September 1, 2015

LIDIANE LEITE had to steal

*Warning: PIRATE RADIO presentation*
A glamorous Brazilian mayor went on the run 12 days ago after she was accused of stealing school funds and running her town over WhatsApp.
An arrest warrant has now been issued for Lidiane Leite, 25, who presided over Bom Jardim, and also her boyfriend who was her main political adviser there.
Prosecutors said the young mayor stole money which was earmarked for a school in the north-east state of Maranhao, one of the country's poorest regions.
They also claimed her only contact with her cabinet was through messages sent via the messaging app, WhatsApp.
Missing: Brazilian mayor Lidiane Leite, 25, went on the run around 12 days ago after she was accused of stealing school funds and running her town over WhatsApp
Missing: Brazilian mayor Lidiane Leite, 25, went on the run around 12 days ago after she was accused of stealing school funds and running her town over WhatsApp


Although she was elected into office, the town's furious residents have taken to the streets to call for an end to her corrupt reign, CNN reported. 
Ms Leite presided over one of the country's poorest areas but showed off her own lavish lifestyle on social media.
Ms Leite's private Instagram account is filled with pictures of her sipping champagne at nightclubs and posing with her friends on luxurious holiday getaways. 
'Before I was mayor I was poor, and had a Land Rover,' she wrote on Instagram, according to a report by Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.
'Now I'm in a Toyota SW4. I should have bought a better car, because thanks to God money is no longer a problem.' 
Her life of luxury came to an end when her name was mentioned in a federal investigation which discovered that more than £650,000-worth of funds had been siphoned off in a corruption scheme, according to CNN.
The BBC has reported that the education system in Bom Jardim has collapsed and the teachers are not being paid.  
Hiding: Ms Leite's lawyer has claimed she hid from the police in a 'moment of panic' (file photo of Rio de Janeiro)
Hiding: Ms Leite's lawyer has claimed she hid from the police in a 'moment of panic' (file photo of Rio de Janeiro)
A state judge has said that he will seek an international arrest warrant if she does not hand herself in by today.
An arrest warrant has also been issued for Ms Leite's boyfriend and main political adviser, Beto Rocha.
She replaced him as a candidate in the 2012 mayoral race after corruption claims forced him to step down.
After being elected as Bom Jardim's mayor, she went to live in the state capital of Sao Luis, more than 170 miles away. 
Last week, Ms Leite's lawyer Carlos Barros claimed she hid from the police in a 'moment of panic', according to Brazilian website Cidades Em Foco.
He added that her decision was very frightened and was 'lucky not to be found' but her decision to hide away was not premeditated. 
Mr Barros said: 'She was too young and inexperienced when she took office... She lacked confidence and delegated many tasks to Mr Rocha.'
Ms Leite's former deputy was sworn in as mayor on Saturday and promised to launch a full investigation.

No comments:

Post a Comment