Brazilian senators voted on Thursday to suspend President Dilma Rousseff and put her on trial accusing her of improperly using billions of dollars in loans from government banks to patch budget gaps and fund popular social programs.

55 of Brazil’s 81 senators voted to open an impeachment trial against Rousseff forcing her to step aside during the trial.

The first woman who became president of Brazil is accused of improperly using billions of dollars in loans from government banks to patch budget gaps and fund popular social programs, as The Washington Post reports.

Senators must decide whether this amounts to a “crime of responsibility” under Brazilian law.

However, Rousseff denied that she had committed any crime and accused her opponents of mounting a “coup”.

“I may have committed errors but I never committed crimes,” Rousseff said during a 14-minute address.

“It’s the most brutal of things that can happen to a human being to be condemned for a crime you didn’t commit. There is no more devastating injustice.” she said.