Protests broke out in several Brazilian cities Wednesday
Protests broke out in several Brazilian citiesWednesday as demonstrators condemned themove by embattled President Dilma Rousseff toappoint former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva asher chief of staff.
Some 2,000 demonstrators Wednesday gathered inthe streets of Brazilia and Sao Paulo after Rousseffnamed Lula, who left office with very high popularityratings, saying it would strengthen her government.
Demonstrators say Lula was appointed in order to protect him from prosecution in a moneylaundering scandal involving the state-owned Petrobras oil company.
As a member of Rousseff's cabinet, Lula can only be tried before the Brazilian Supreme Court.
Lula denies involvement in the Petrobras scandal.
But adding to Wednesday's unrest was the release of audio recordings by a judge headingthe Petrobras investigation. The judge said the recordings of Lula's phone conversationsindicate Lula was seeking help in avoiding prosecution.