Collor vs. Malta — Brazil's Impeached President and the First Lady Embezzlement Scandal

What Happened

Fernando Collor de Mello became Brazil's youngest-ever president in 1990, and his second wife Rosane Malta, whom he married in 1984, became First Lady. But the Collor presidency quickly became synonymous with corruption. In 1992, Collor was impeached and removed from office in one of the most dramatic political scandals in Brazilian history. But Rosane had her own legal troubles — she was indicted in September 1992 for embezzling funds from the Legião Brasileira de Assistência (LBA), a welfare organization she had been appointed to lead.

The marriage survived the political crisis but not the personal fallout. Visible rifts appeared early — the president was often seen in public without his wedding ring during his presidency. Their relationship deteriorated over the years following the impeachment, and Fernando eventually ordered his personal belongings boxed up at their residences. The formal divorce came in 2005, more than a decade after the political scandals that had defined their public life.

The Collor-Malta divorce was unusual because both spouses faced independent criminal allegations. When both parties in a divorce have potential criminal liability, the proceedings become extraordinarily complex — neither side wants to provide testimony or evidence that could be used in criminal proceedings, and both sides have incentives to minimize the disclosure of financial information.

Rosane's embezzlement charges related to directing charitable funds to friends and family members, while Collor's corruption scandal involved a vast scheme of kickbacks and influence peddling. The divorce had to navigate around these parallel legal proceedings, making financial disclosure and property division far more complicated than in a typical dissolution.

Legal Breakdown: When both spouses face criminal allegations during divorce

What This Means for Your Divorce