Silva apologises for bribery scandal

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva apologised in a nation-wide address on Friday for a bribery scandal that is threatening his government but denied knowledge of the payoffs. "The government and the (ruling) Workers' Party have to ask for forgiveness from the Brazilian people," he said in the speech.
Allegations Lula's ruling party used undeclared financing to pay campaign costs and bribe legislators have brought on Brazil's worst political crisis in a decade.
Lula called for the reform of campaign finance rules that he has blamed for luring off-the-books money into the political system.
"I'm conscious of the gravity of the political crisis. It hurts the entire (political) party system," he said.
"It is the duty of the government to stop the crisis from contaminating the economy," he added.