Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has denied committing “illegal acts” after local media reported that he tried to smuggle jewelry into the country that the Saudi government allegedly gave him and his wife as gifts, according to CNN Brazil.
“I am being accused of a gift that I neither asked for nor received,” he said. CNN citing the former far-right leader in an interview. “There is no illegality on my part. I have never committed illegal acts.”
His statements come after the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo reported on Friday that Bolsonaro had tried to illegally bring to Brazil a set of jewels made up of a diamond necklace, a ring, a watch and earrings given to him and former First Lady Michelle for the Saudi Government.
The Saudi Embassy in Brazil did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the newspaper, the jewels, valued at 3 million euros (3.19 million dollars), were found by customs agents in the backpack of an assistant to the then Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque, when he was returning from a trip. official to the Middle East in October 2021.
Agents at the Guarulhos airport in Sao Paulo seized the jewelry, as people must declare any property worth more than $1,000 when entering Brazil, according to the newspaper, adding that the Bolsonaro government tried without He successfully retrieved the jewels on multiple occasions through government officials.
Bolsonaro is in the United States, having flown to Florida in late December 48 hours before his opponent and successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn in. Bolsonaro is scheduled to attend the CPAC meeting of conservatives in Washington later on Saturday.
He is expected to meet former US President Donald Trump, his political idol, at the event. (NA)
