Brazil’s Supreme Court has suspended action by a special congressional commission which was looking into impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff.

The move freezes the process until December 16 when the court convenes for a full session.

Rousseff has been accused ostensibly of breaking budget rules but its widely believed she has been tainted by the country’s massive corruption scandal involving the state-owned oil company, Petrobras.

Although she has not been implicated, the allegations against senior members of her Workers Party have led to a sharp drop in her popularity since she was re-elected last year.