Brasilia - Spa
Wagner Rossi resigned Wednesday as Brazil'sagriculture minister, amid allegations of corruption under his watch, according to dpa.He is the fourth minister to step down from the Cabinet of
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. In less than eight months in office, she had previously lost chief of staff Antonio Palocci,transport minister Alfredo Nascimento and defence minister Nelson
Jobim.Like Nascimento and Jobim, Rossi was among the ministers"inherited" by Rousseff from her predecessor, former president Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva.Rossi admitted to having flown "three or four times" in planes belonging to a company that had government contracts. Such gifts are
explicitly forbidden by Brazil's public ethics code.Separately, he was implicated in allegations of illegal benefits
granted to a firm that sold powdered milk to the government. Rossiinsisted in his resignation letter that he had nothing to do with
that."Over the last 30 days, I have faced on a daily basis a downpourof false accusations, with no proof," he said. "None of these
accusations point to any actions of mine that may be considered illegal or inappropriate.