This content was published on May 03, 2023 – 15:54
(AFP)
The Brazilian police raided the house of former President Jair Bolsonaro this Wednesday in the framework of an investigation into the alleged falsification of vaccination certificates against covid-19, an accusation that he denied.
The far-right ex-president (2019-2022) confirmed the registration of his residence in Brasilia and accused the authorities of trying to “manufacture a case” against him.
“There is no adulteration on my part. I did not get vaccinated, period, I never denied that,” he assured reporters in front of his home in the Brazilian capital.
Bolsonaro, 68, said police also seized his cellphone and inspected his family’s immunization records.
“So I’m really surprised by the search and seizures,” he said. And he added: “All citizens are equal. But to search and seize the house of a former president to make a case…”.
Bolsonaro challenged expert advice on handling the pandemic, which has left more than 700,000 dead in Brazil. During his government, he came to joke that those who were immunized could become “alligator”.
Without mentioning Bolsonaro, the Federal Police (PF) reported this Wednesday that it was investigating “a criminal association” suspected of inserting “false vaccination data against covid-19 into public health systems.”
“The false insertions, which occurred between November 2021 and December 2022, resulted in the alteration of the truth about (…) the immunization status against covid-19 of the beneficiaries,” the PF statement said.
The alleged forgery allowed people “to issue the respective vaccination certificates and use them to circumvent the current health restrictions imposed by public authorities (Brazil and the United States) aimed at preventing the spread (…) of covid-19,” adds the note.
Defeated in the presidential elections in October, Bolsonaro traveled to the United States on December 30, two days before the inauguration of leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The United States requires international air travelers to present proof of vaccination against covid-19, a requirement that the White House announced Monday will end on May 11. This requirement does not apply to foreign government officials.
“In my trips to the United States, the vaccination certificate was never required,” Bolsonaro explained this Wednesday to the Jovem Pan network.
Bolsonaro, a close ally of former US President Donald Trump, remained in Orlando, Florida, until March 30.
It is unknown how US authorities handled Bolsonaro’s case after his term ended on January 1.
Bolsonaro’s alleged false vaccination data would have been uploaded to the public health system before his trip to the United States, and then deleted, according to TV Globo.
– ‘Serious corruption’ –
Police reported that the operation this Wednesday included 16 search warrants, in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro, and six arrest warrants.
According to the media, the PF arrested, among others, Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, Bolsonaro’s former deputy, considered his right-hand man during the presidency.
“Conspiring against public health is a very serious corruption,” said the Minister of Justice and Security, Flávio Dino, on Wednesday.
The PF arrived at Bolsonaro’s house around 06:00 (09:00 GMT), Bolsonaro told Jovem Pan.
“I was treated very well,” he said, although he said he felt the “discomfort” of some police officers who “swept” the place.
Bolsonaro was summoned to testify at the PF headquarters, but his lawyers recommended that he remain silent.
“Bolsonaro will go as soon as possible (…) but we need to access the case,” said Paulo Cunha Bueno, the former president’s defender, to the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper.
Since his return to Brazil, Bolsonaro has been interrogated twice by the PF.
On April 5, he had to give a statement for the investigation opened for the irregular entry into Brazil of valuable jewels given by Saudi Arabia in 2021.
And last week, he had to testify as part of another investigation into his alleged role in the riots on January 8, when thousands of his followers invaded the headquarters of the three state powers in the Brazilian capital in an attempt to overthrow Lula, who had assumed seven days earlier.
In total, Bolsonaro faces four investigations by the Supreme Court that could send him to prison, and 16 cases before the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE).
The latter, which is investigating unproven claims by Bolsonaro of fraud in the electoral system, could strip him of the right to run for the presidency for eight years, leaving him out in 2026.
2023-05-03 19:10:41
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