Fernando Collor de Mello

For the archaeological site in the Cajamarca Region, Peru also spelt Collor, seeQuyllur.

In thisPortuguese name,the first or maternalfamily nameisCollorand the second or paternal family name isMello.

His Excellency Fernando Collor de Mello GCTE
Official portrait, 1992
President of Brazil
In office 15 March 1990 – 29 December 1992 Suspended: 2 October 1992 – 29 December 1992
Vice President	Itamar Franco
Preceded by	José Sarney
Succeeded by	Itamar Franco
Further offices held SenatorforAlagoas In office 1 February 2007 – 1 February 2023 Preceded by Heloísa Helena Succeeded by Renan Filho Governor ofAlagoas In office 15 March 1987 – 14 May 1989 Vice Governor Moacir de Andrade Preceded by José Tavares Succeeded by Moacir de Andrade Member of theChamber of Deputies In office 1 February 1983 – 15 July 1986 Constituency Alagoas Mayor ofMaceió In office 1 January 1979 – 31 December 1982 Preceded by Dílton Simões Succeeded by Corinto Campelo
Personal details
Born	(1949-08-12)12 August 1949 Rio de Janeiro,Federal District,Brazil
Political party	PRD(2023–present)
Other political affiliations	See list ARENA(1979) PDS(1980–1985) PMDB(1986–1988) PRN(1989–1992) PRTB(1999–2006) PTB(2007–2016) PTC(2016–2019) PROS(2019–2022) PTB(2022–2023)
Spouses	Celi Elisabete Júlia Monteiro de Carvalho ​ ​ (m.1975;div.1981)​ Rosane Brandão Malta ​ ​ (m.1981;div.2005)​ Caroline Serejo Medeiros ​ ​ (m.2006)​
Children	5
Parent(s)	Arnon de Melo Leda Collor
Residence(s)	Maceió,Alagoas
Alma mater	University of Brasília
Signature

Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello(Brazilian Portuguese:[feʁˈnɐ̃dwaˈfõsuˈkɔloʁdʒiˈmɛlu];born 12 August 1949) is a Brazilian politician who served as the 32ndpresident of Brazilfrom 1990 to 1992, when he resigned in a failed attempt to stop hisimpeachment trialby theBrazilian Senate.Collor was thefirst Presidentdemocratically elected after the end of theBrazilian military dictatorship.He became the youngest president in Brazilian history, taking office at the age of 40. After he resigned from the presidency, the impeachment trial on charges ofcorruptioncontinued. Collor was found guilty by the Senate and disqualified from holding elected office for eight years (1992–2000). He was later acquitted of ordinary criminal charges in his judicial trial before Brazil'sSupreme Federal Court,for lack of valid evidence.

Fernando Collor was born into a political family. He is the son of the former SenatorArnon Affonso de Farias Melloand Leda Collor (daughter of former Labour MinisterLindolfo Collor,led by his father, former governor ofAlagoasand proprietor of the Arnon de Mello Organization, a media conglomerate which manages the state-wide television station TV Gazeta de Alagoas, the affiliate ofTV Globoin the state.) "Collor" is a Portuguese adaptation of theGermansurname Köhler, from his maternal grandfather Lindolfo Leopoldo Boeckel Collor.

Collor served as Senator forAlagoasfrom February 2007 to February 2023. He first won election in2006and was reelected in2014.In August 2017, Collor was accused by Brazil'sSupreme Federal Courtof receiving around US$9 million in bribes between 2010 and 2014 fromPetrobrassubsidiary BR Distributor.

Early career

Collor in 1988

Fernando Collor was born in August 12, 1949, to Leda Collor (1916-1995) andArnon Afonso de Farias Mello(1911-1983), in a very affluent and politically well-connected family. His father was governor and later senator for the state ofAlagoas.He has two brothers,Pedroand Leopoldo, and two sisters, Ledinha and Ana. His grandfather,Lindolfo Collor(1890-1942), was a direct descendent of some of the firstGerman immigrantsthat arrived in Brazil in 1824. Despite being born inRio de Janeiro,Fernando spent his childhood in the cities of Maceió, Rio de Janeiro andBrasília.

Collor graduated in economic sciences, in 1972, at theFederal University of Alagoas.That same year, he become president of theGazeta de Alagoas,a newspaper that was run by his family's media conglomerate. In 1975, he married his first wife Celi Elisabete Júlia Monteiro de Carvalho, with whom he had two children. He married a second time, withRosane Malta(who would become the First Lady) in 1984. No children were born from this union. In 2006, he married Caroline Medeiros, with whom he would have two children. He also had a child born out of wedlock.

Collor became president of Brazilian football clubCentro Sportivo Alagoano(CSA) in 1976. After entering politics, he was successively named mayor ofAlagoas' capitalMaceióin 1979 (National Renewal Alliance Party), elected a federal deputy (Democratic Social Party) in 1982, and eventually elected governor of the small Northeastern state ofAlagoas(Brazilian Democratic Movement Party) in 1986.

During his term as governor, he attracted publicity by allegedly fighting high salaries for public servants, whom he labeledmarajás(maharajas)(likening them to the former princes of India who received a stipend from the government as compensation for relinquishing their lands). How well his policies reduced public expense is disputed, but the political position certainly made him popular in the country.This helped boost his political career, with the help of television appearances in nationwide broadcasts (quite unusual for a governor from such a small state).

Despite achieving national prestige during his time as governor of Alagoas, while positioning himself as a anti-corruption and anti-establishment candidate for the presidency, corruption scandals followed him since the time he was mayor of Maceió. Before that, during the time he was a Federal Deputy in the National Congress, he was perceived as a very quiet politician, only proposing pieces of legislation that would benefit his family's businesses.

Presidency (1990-1992)

Collor on Inauguration Day, 15 March 1990

Collor during a meeting at thePlanalto Palace,1990

In 1989 Collor defeatedLuiz Inácio Lula da Silvain acontroversial two-round presidential racewith 35 million votes. In December 1989, days prior to the second round, businessmanAbílio Dinizwas the victim of a sensational political kidnapping. The act was asserted by some to be an attempt to sabotage Lula's chances of victoryby associating the kidnapping with the left wing. At the time, Brazilian law barred any party from addressing the media on the days prior to election day. Lula's party thus had no opportunity to clarify the accusations that the party (PT) was involved in the kidnapping. Collor won in the state of São Paulo against many prominent political figures.The firstPresident of Brazilelected by popular vote in 29 years, Collor spent the early years of his presidency battlinginflation,which at times reached rates of 25% a month.

The very day he took office, Collor launched thePlano Collor(Collor Plan), implemented by his finance ministerZélia Cardoso de Mello(not related to Collor). The plan attempted to reduce themoney supplyby forcibly converting large portions of consumer bank accounts into non-cashable governmentbonds,while at the same time increasing the printing of money bills, a counterbalancing measure to combathyper-inflation.

Free trade, privatization and state reforms

Collor waves to the people

Collor speaking at the Planalto presidential palace, 1991

Under Zélia's tenure as Brazil's Minister of Finances, the country had a period of major changes, featuring whatISTOÉmagazine called an "unprecedented revolution"in many levels of public administration: "privatization, opening its market to free trade, encouraging industrial modernization, temporary control of the hyper-inflation and public debt reduction."

In the month before Collor took power, hyperinflation was at 90 percent per month and climbing. All accounts over 50,000 cruzeiros (about US$500 at that time), were frozen for several weeks. He also proposed freezes in wages and prices, as well as major cuts in government spending. The measures were received unenthusiastically by the people, though many felt that radical measures were necessary to kill the hyperinflation. Within a few months, however, inflation resumed, eventually reaching rates of 10 percent a month.

During the course of his government, Collor was accused of condoning aninfluence peddlingscheme. The accusations weighed on the government and led Collor and his team to an institutional crisis leading to a loss of credibility that reached the finance minister, Zélia.

This political crisis had negative consequences on his ability to carry out his policies and reforms.ThePlano CollorI,under Zélia would be renewed with the implementation of thePlano Collor II;the government's loss of prestige would make that follow-up plan short-lived and largely ineffective.The failure of Zélia and Plano Collor I led to their substitution byMarcílio Marques Moreiraand his Plano Collor II. Moreira's plan tried to correct some aspects of the first plan, but it was too late. Collor's administration was paralyzed by the fast deterioration of his image, through a succession of corruption accusations.

During the Plano Collor, yearly inflation was at first reduced from 30,000 percent in 1990 (Collor's first year in government) to 400 percent in 1991, but then climbed back up to 1,020 percent in 1992 (when he left office).Inflation continued to rise to 2,294 percent in 1994 (two years after he left office). Although Zélia acknowledged later that the Plano Collor didn't end inflation, she also stated: "It is also possible to see with clarity that, under very difficult conditions, we promoted the balancing of thenational debt– and that, together with the commercial opening, it created the basis for the implementation of thePlano Real."

Parts of Collor's free trade andprivatizationprogram were followed by his successors:Itamar Franco(Collor'srunning mate),Fernando Henrique Cardoso(a member of the Franco cabinet) andLula da Silva.Collor's administration privatized 15 different companies (includingAcesita), and began the process of privatizing several others, such asEmbraer,TelebrásandCompanhia Vale do Rio Doce.Some members of Collor's government were also part of the later Cardoso administration in different or similar functions:

• Pedro Malan
• Renan Calheiros(PMDB-AL)
• Antônio Kandir(PSDB-SP)
• Pratini de Moraes
• Celso Lafer
• Reinhold Stephanes
• Armínio Fraga
• Pedro Parente

Luiz Carlos Bresser-Pereira,a minister in the previousSarneyand the following Fernando Henrique Cardoso administrations, stated that "Collor changed the political agenda in the country, because he implemented brave and very necessary reforms, and he pursuedfiscal adjustments.Although other attempts had been made since 1987, it was during Collor's administration that oldstatistideas were confronted and combated (...) by a brave agenda of economic reforms geared towardsfree tradeandprivatization." According to Philippe Faucher, professor of political science atMcGill University,the combination of the political crisis and the hyperinflation continued to reduce Collor's credibility and in that political vacuum an impeachment process took place, precipitated by Pedro Collor's (Fernando Collor's brother) accusations and other social and political sectors which thought they would be harmed by his policies.

Awards

In 1991,UNICEFchose three health programs: community agents, lay midwives and eradication of measles as the best in the world. These programs were promoted during Collor's administration. Until 1989, the Brazilianvaccinationrecord, was considered the worst inSouth America.During Collor's administration, Brazil's vaccination program won aUnited Nationsprize, as the best in South America. Collor's projectMinha Gente(My People) won the UN awardProject Model for the Humanityin 1993.

Corruption charges and impeachment

Fernando Collor de Mello
Fernando Collor, along with his wifeRosane Malta,leaves thePlanalto Palace.
Accused	Fernando Collor de Mello,President of Brazil
Proponents	Marcello Laveniére(President of theOrder of Attorneys of Brazil) Barbosa Lima Sobrinho(President of the Brazilian Association of Press)
Date	1 September 1992 – 30 December 1992 (3 months, 4 weeks and 1 day)
Outcome	Convicted by theFederal Senate,ineligible for 8 years
Charges	High crimes and misdemeanors
Cause	"Painted Faces" PC Farias Case
Congressional votes
Voting in theChamber of Deputies
Accusation	Vote to open impeachment process
Votes in favor	441
Votes against	38
Present	0
Not voting	24
Result	Approved
Voting in theFederal Senate
Accusation	Vote to suspend Collor from the Presidency
Votes in favor	67
Votes against	3
Not voting	11
Result	Collor suspended from office,Itamar Francobecomes Acting President
Accusation	Vote to resume the impeachment process
Votes in favor	73
Votes against	8
Result	Approved; process resumes, despite Collor's resignation
Accusation	Vote to remove political right
Votes in favor	76 "guilty"
Votes against	3 "not guilty"
Not voting	2
Result	Convicted; Collor loses political right for 8 years

Protesters call for Collor's impeachment in front of theNational Congressin September 1992

Impeachment: Fernando Collor leavesPlanalto Palacefor the last time as president, 2 October 1992

In May 1992, Fernando Collor's brotherPedro Colloraccused him of condoning aninfluence peddlingscheme run by his campaign treasurer,Paulo César Farias.The Federal Police and the Federal Prosecution Service opened an investigation. On 1 July 1992, a Joint Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry, composed of Senators and members of the Chamber of Deputies, formed in Congress to investigate the accusation and review the evidence uncovered by police and federal prosecutors. SenatorAmir Landowas chosen as therapporteurof the Commission of Inquiry, chaired by CongressmanBenito Gama.Farias, Pedro Collor, government officials and others were subpoenaed and gavedepositionsbefore it. Some weeks later, with the investigation progressing and under fire, Collor asked on national television for the people's support in going out in the street and protesting against "coup" forces. On 11 August 1992, thousands of students organized by the National Student Union (União Nacional dos Estudantes– UNE), protested on the street against Collor. Their faces, often painted in a mixture of the colors of the flag and protest-black, lead to them being called "Caras-pintadas"("Painted Faces").

On 26 August 1992, the final congressional inquiry was approved 16–5. The report concluded that there was proof that Fernando Collor had had personal expenses paid for by money raised byPaulo César Fariasthrough hisinfluence peddlingscheme.

As a result, a petition to the Chamber of Deputies by citizensBarbosa Lima Sobrinhoand Marcelo Lavenère Machado, respectively the then President of the Brazilian Press Association and the then-president of theBrazilian Bar Associationformally accused Collor ofcrimes of responsibility(the Brazilian equivalent of "high crimes and misdemeanors", such as abuse of power) warranting removal from office per the constitutional and legal norms forimpeachment.In Brazil, a formal petition for impeachment of the President must be submitted by one or more private citizens, not by corporations or public institutions.

The formal petition, submitted on 1 September 1992, began impeachment proceedings. The Chamber of Deputies set up a special committee on 3 September 1992 to study the impeachment petition. On 24 September 1992, the committee voted (32 votes in favour, one vote against, one abstention) to approve the impeachment petition and recommend that the fullChamber of Deputiesaccept the charges of impeachment. Under theConstitution of Brazil,the impeachment process required two thirds of the Chamber of Deputies to vote to allow the charges of impeachment to be escalated to the Senate. On 29 September 1992, Collor was impeached by the Chamber of Deputies, with more than two thirds of its members concurring. In the decisive roll call vote, 441 deputies voted for and 38 deputies voted against the admission of the charges of impeachment.

Collor campaigning forSenateinMaceió,2006

On 30 September 1992, the accusation was formally sent from the Chamber of Deputies to the Senate, and proceedings for impeachment began in the upper house. The Senate formed a committee to examine the case file and determine whether all legal formalities had been followed. The Committee issued its report, recognizing that the charges of impeachment had been presented in accordance with the Constitution and the laws, and proposed that the Senate organize itself into a court of impeachment to conduct the trial of the president. On 1 October 1992, this report was presented on the floor of the Senate, and the full Senate voted to accept it and to proceed. That day the then-president of the Federal Supreme Court, JusticeSydney Sanches,was notified of the opening of the trial process in the Senate, and began to preside over the process. On 2 October 1992, Collor received a formal summons from the Brazilian Senate notifying him that the Senate had accepted the report, and that he was now a defendant in an impeachment trial. Per theConstitution of Brazil,upon receipt of that writ of summons, Collor's presidential powers were suspended for 180 days, and vice presidentItamar Francobecame acting president. The Senate also sent an official communication to the office of the vice-president to formally acquaint him of the suspension of the President, and to give him notice that he was now the acting president.

By the end of December, it was obvious that Collor would be convicted and removed from office by the Senate. In hopes of staving this off, Collor resigned on 29 December 1992 on the last day of the proceedings. Collor's resignation letter was read by his attorney in the floor of the Senate, and the impeachment trial was adjourned so that the Congress could meet in joint session, first to take formal notice of the resignation and proclaim the office of president vacant, and then to swear in Franco.

However, after the inauguration of Franco, the Senate resumed sitting as a court of impeachment with the president of the Supreme Court presiding. Collor's attorneys argued that with Collor's resignation, the impeachment trial could not proceed and should close without ruling on the merits. The attorneys arguing for Collor's removal, however, argued that the trial should continue, to determine whether or not the defendant should face the constitutional penalty of suspension of political rights for eight years. The Senate voted to continue the trial. It ruled that, although the possible penalty of removal from office had been rendered moot, the determination of the former President's guilt or innocence was still relevant because a conviction on charges of impeachment would carry with it a disqualification from holding public office for eight years. The Senate found that, since the trial had already begun, the defendant could not use his right to resign the presidency as a means to avoid a ruling.

The former presidents Fernando Collor (center),Fernando Henrique Cardoso(left), andJosé Sarney(right), 2008

Later, in the early hours of 30 December 1992, by the required two-thirds majority, the Senate found the former president guilty of the charges of impeachment. Of the 81 members of the Senate, 79 took part in the final vote: 76 Senators voted to convict the former president, and 3 voted to acquit. The penalty of removal from office was not imposed as Collor had already resigned, but as a result of his conviction the Senate barred Collor from holding public office for eight years. After the vote, the Senate issued a formal written opinion summarizing the conclusions and orders resulting from the judgement, as required byBrazilian law.The Senate's formal written sentence on the impeachment trial, containing its conviction of the former president and disqualification from public office for eight years, signed by the president of the Supreme Court and by the Senators on 30 December 1992, was published in theDiário Oficial da União(the Brazilian Federal Government'sofficial journal) on 31 December 1992.

In 1993, Collor challenged before theBrazilian Supreme Courtthe Senate's decision to continue the trial after his resignation but the Supreme Court ruled the Senate's action valid.

In 1994, the Supreme Court tried the ordinary criminal charges stemming from the Farias corruption affair; the ordinary criminal accusation was presented by the Brazilian federal prosecution service (Ministério Público Federal). The Supreme Court had original jurisdiction under the Brazilian Constitution because Collor was one of the defendants and the charges mentioned crimes committed by a President while in office. If found guilty of the charges, the former president would face a jail sentence.However, Collor was found not guilty. The Federal Supreme Court threw out the corruption charges against him on atechnicality,citing a lack of evidence linking Collor to Farias' influence-peddling scheme. A key piece of evidence, Paulo César Farias' personal computer, was ruled inadmissible as it had been obtained during an illegal police search conducted without asearch warrant.Other pieces of evidence that were only gathered because of the information first extracted from files stored in Farias' computer were also voided, as the Collor defense successfully invoked thefruit of the poisonous treedoctrine before the Brazilian Supreme Court. Evidence that was only obtained because of the illegally obtained information was also struck from the record.

After his acquittal in the criminal trial, Collor again attempted to void the suspension of his political rights imposed by the Senate, without success, as the Supreme Court ruled that the judicial trial of the ordinary criminal charges and the political trial of the charges of impeachment were independent spheres. Collor thus only regained his political rights in 2000, after the expiration of the eight year disqualification imposed by the Brazilian Senate.

Collor's version of the impeachment

For several years after his removal from office, Collor maintained a website which has since been taken offline. In discussing the events surrounding the corruption charges, the former website stated: "After two and half years of the most intense investigation in Brazilian history, the Supreme Court of Brazil declared him innocent of all charges. Today he is the only politician in Brazil to have an officially clear record validated by an investigation by all interests and sectors of the opposition government. Furthermore, President Fernando Collor signed the initial document authorizing the investigation."

Post-presidency

Collor's official photo as senator

Collor speaks at theFederal Senatein August 2015

In 2000, Collor joined theBrazilian Labour Renewal Party(PRTB) and ran formayor of São Paulo.His candidacy was declared invalid by the electoral authorities, as his political rights were still suspended by the filing deadline.In 2002, withpolitical rightsrestored, he ran for Governor ofAlagoas,but lost to incumbent GovernorRonaldo Lessa,who was seeking reelection.

In 2006, Collor was elected to theFederal Senaterepresenting his state ofAlagoas,with 44.03% of the vote, running again against Lessa. The following year he abandoned PRTB and switched to theBrazilian Labour Party(PTB).Collor has been, since March 2009, Chairman of the Senate Infrastructure Commission. Collor ran again for Governor of Alagoas in 2010.However, he lost the race, finishing a narrow third after Lessa and incumbentTeotonio Vilela Filho,thus eliminated from the runoff. This was Collor's second electoral loss.

In 2014, Collor was re-elected to the Senate with 55% of the vote.

On 20 August 2015, Collor was charged by theProsecutor General of Brazilwith corruption, as a development ofOperation Car Wash(Portuguese:Operação Lava Jato). Details of the charge were kept under wraps so as not to jeopardize the investigation.

In 2016, Collor abandoned PTB and joined theChristian Labour Party(PTC), a small Christian democratic party which had no representatives in the Congress at the time. Collor also voted to impeach Rousseff as Senator.

In 2019, Collor left PTC and joined theRepublican Party of the Social Order.

In 2022, Collor left theRepublican Party of the Social Orderand rejoined theBrazilian Labour Party (current). Also in 2022, Collor ran for Governor of Alagoas, placing 3rd and not making the run-off. Collor garnered 14,57% of the votes.

In 2023, theBrazilian Supreme Federal Courtvoted to convict Collor on charges of money laundering and corruption. He was accused of receiving R$30 million in bribes fromPetrobras.

Honour

Foreign honours

• Malaysia:
  • Honorary Recipient of theOrder of the Crown of the Realm(1991)
• Portugal:
  • Grand Cross of theOrder of the Tower and Sword(1991)
• Spain:
  • Collar of theOrder of Isabella the Catholic(10 May 1991)

See also

• List of mayors of Maceió
• List of scandals in Brazil

External links

• Fernando Collor - O Senador de AlagoasArchived10 November 2019 at theWayback Machine