Roberto Jefferson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roberto Jefferson Monteiro Francisco is a Brazilian politician. He was born on June 14, 1953 in Petrópolis, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. He is the son of Neusa Dalva Monteiro Francisco and Roberto Francisco. Roberto Jefferson is married to Ecila Brasil Jefferson Francisco.
He finished his High School studies at Werneck School in Petrópolis, and he received a law degree in 1979 from the Estácio de Sá University in Rio de Janeiro.
His political career began officially in 1971, when he joined the MDB (known as PMDB since 1979) party. Jefferson remained in MDB until 1979, when he went to the Progressive Party (PP). He left the PP in 1980 and he joined the Brazilian Labour Party (PTB), which his grandfather helped to form in 1945.
In 1999, he became leader of the PTB group in the Brazilian Congress of Deputies. He continued as their leader until 2002. In February of 2003, PTB elected him as its National President.
He is a major figure in the mensalão scandal. He was expelled from the Congress on September 15, 2005, accused of breaking the parliamentary decorum. He cannot be elected to any executive or legislative positions until 2015.
