Calls for the impeachment of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil's president, are likely to be renewed this week after the former treasurer of his leftwing Workers' party (PT) suggested in a newspaper interview yesterday that the president knew about a corruption scheme allegedly paying bribes to legislators in exchange for their support in Congress.

Silvio Pereira, who resigned as party secretary last July over his role in the affair, stopped short of accusing the president of direct involvement in the scheme. But he listed Mr Lula da Silva as one of four senior figures who controlled decision-making in the party during the time the alleged payments took place. Two of the four - José Dirceu, formerly the president's chief minister, and José Genoino, former PT president - were fired from their party jobs. Mr Dirceu resigned his ministry and was expelled from Congress last year.