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| Antonio Patriota. AFP. BBC. |
Brazil's Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota has resigned as a result of a diplomatic scandal with Bolivia. Mr Patriota quit his job after a Bolivian opposition politician, Roger Pinto, who was holed up in the Brazilian embassy in La Paz for more than a year fled the country in a diplomatic car. A Brazilian official has admitted using his diplomatic immunity to drive the senator across the border without permission from either country. Senator Pinto was given asylum at the Brazilian embassy last year after being accused of at least 14 crimes in Bolivia - including corruption - charges which he denied. The Foreign Ministers decision to resign was announced in a brief statement on Monday. According to the Brazilian official who drove Mr Pinto from the Brazilian embassy and across the border, Eduardo Saboia, the senator had been suffering from depression and he [Saboia] had taken a personal decision to help him. Roger Pinto had been living in a small room of the Brazilian Embassy in Bolivia for 450 days. After the escape was revealed, Bolivia accused Brazil of violating international agreements and demanded an explanation.
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