In a brazen case of nepotism, the mayor of a municipality in southern Brazil, Hissam Hussein Dehaini, 65, sparked a great controversy after he legally married a 16-year-old girl Kauane Rode Camargo. Later, he appointed her mother as Minister of Culture and Tourism, days after the
marriage.
Dehaini raised eyebrows when he married Kauane Rode Camargo – a former child beauty queen – earlier this month. But now the wealthy Brazilian businessman has resigned from his party amid backlash following the wedding.
The mayor of Araucaria, Dehaini married a girl who was 49 years younger than him, a day after she reached the age of 16, which is the legal age for marriage in Brazil.
According to British media, the high school student last year participated in the Miss Araucária contest and came second.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office in the Brazilian state of Paraná is investigating the appointment of the mother of the young bride to the post of Minister of Culture and Tourism of Araucaria just one day after the mayor’s wedding.
According to Brazilian law, minors over the age of 16 can only legally marry with the consent of their parents, so the appointment of the young bride’s mother to a well-paying position within the municipal administration is considered by many to be a bribe of sorts.
His mother-in-law, Marilyn, was an official in the city’s Department of Education, but with a much lower salary and less influence.
The news of the appointment the day after his controversial wedding sparked a massive scandal in Araucaria.
Responding to the accusations, the mayor’s office issued a statement that caused more controversy, claiming that the appointment was an act of discretion, and deeming his mother-in-law fulfilled the requirements for the office.
