Brazilian Central Bank President Henrique Meirelles said Friday he will not resign over a report he deposited 50,000 dollars in a New York bank account controlled by suspected money launderers in 2002.

Veja magazine reported Thursday that Meirelles transferred 50,000 dollars from his account with New York investment firm Goldman Sachs to an account with MTB Bank in October 2002.

The MTB Bank account in New York was controlled by Biscay Trading, an off-shore company run by Brazilian currency traders facing a parliamentary investigation into alleged money laundering, Veja reported in its online edition.

In an interview with Globo News television, Meirelles expressed "indignation" that his personal accounts were made public and added that he had the "total support" of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Finance Minister Antonio Palocci called Meirelles "the president that Brazil needs for a strong Central Bank."

Opposition politicians have called for Meirelles' resignation amid negative reports over his personal

finances.

The Central Bank chief was already under fire after telling reporters that he was exempt from paying income taxes to Brazil in 2002 while he was living in the United States, even though he had claimed Brazilian residency to run for a seat in the Brazilian parliament.