Feb 1, 2007, 17:40 GMT
Rio de Janeiro - One in seven members of Brazil's new legislative chamber is a suspect at least one crime ranging from corruption, embezzlement and bodily harm to manslaughter, the news website G1 reported Thursday.
Out of a total of 513 legislators in the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house of the Brazilian Congress), at least 74 are currently being investigated, the report said.
G1 reached this conclusion in an investigation timed to coincide with the beginning of the legislative period in Brasilia.
There are a total of 133 investigations and trials in federal courts against legislators in Brasilia. But this is only the tip of the iceberg, according to G1, as only federal courts have been taken into account. The number of criminal investigations is presumably higher.
Claudio Abramo, of the non-governmental organization Transparencia Brazil, said the numbers also were a worrying indication of corruption at local and regional levels of government.
Your Talkback on this Story