Brazilian party aide steps down

Mr Soares, rear right, is the second PT figure to quit in as many days

A senior official in Brazil's governing Workers' Party (PT) has stepped aside over allegations he was involved in a bribes for votes scandal.

Delubio Soares, the treasurer for the PT, is the second figure to leave the party in less than a week.

His move comes just a day after the PT's Secretary General, Silvio Pereira, said he was stepping aside.

The corruption scandal is fast engulfing the party founded by Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The PT denies allegations that it offered bribes to secure political support in parliament.

Mr Soares said in a statement that he had formally asked for a period of leave from his position.

Tarnished image

He said bank statements, telephone and tax records would be made available to parliamentary investigators looking into the allegations.

The funding and bribery scandal exploded in June with accusations made by Roberto Jefferson of Brazil's centre-right Labour Party.

Last month it claimed President Lula's chief of staff, Jose Dirceu, who resigned from his position.

Analysts say Mr Pereira and Mr Soares, who have both already stepped aside, as well as PT President Jose Genoino, may ultimately be forced to resign.

The allegations have tarnished the image of the PT, long viewed as a model of integrity.

President Lula da Silva, a former union leader, won power in 2002, pledging to crack down on endemic corruption.