Eléonore Huges | The Associated Press

In a statement released early Friday evening, the presidential palace said Lula considers the keeping the minister in his position to be unsustainable considering the nature of the accusations.

Footage of the ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop plunging while in a flat spin sent shockwaves across Brazil. All 62 people aboard died, including eight doctors, at least two of whom were headed for an oncology conference to sharpen their knowledge about a disease that kills tens of thousands of Brazilians every year.