Brazil’s federal police have accused former President Jair Bolsonaro of collusion with criminal activity and falsifying his own coronavirus vaccination data, with the far-right leader facing possible charges against him in the future. This was the first indictment for the person.
The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Bolsonaro and 16 others inserted false information into public health databases to make it appear that the then-president, his 12-year-old daughter and several people around him had health insurance. Police announced an indictment alleging that. COVID-19 vaccine.
During the pandemic, Bolsonaro was one of the few world leaders to slam vaccines, openly flout health restrictions and encourage society to follow his example.
The administration ignored several emails from pharmaceutical company Pfizer, which offered to sell tens of millions of vaccine doses to Brazil in 2020, and publicly criticized the actions of then-São Paulo state governor. Joao Doria plans to buy a vaccine from Chinese company Sinovac while the jab is not available.
Brazil’s attorney general has the final say on whether to use the police indictment to bring charges against Bolsonaro to the Supreme Court. This stems from one of several investigations targeting Bolsonaro, who was in power from 2019 to 2022.
Bolsonaro’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. The former president denied any wrongdoing during an interrogation in May 2023.
Police accuse Bolsonaro and his aides of tampering with a health ministry database just before he left for the United States in December 2022, two months after losing his re-election bid to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. are doing.
Bolsonaro, who requires proof of vaccination to enter the United States, remained in the country for the final days of his term and the first months of Lula’s term.
Legal analyst Gilan Costa said the 68-year-old politician could spend up to 12 years in prison and as little as two years if convicted of falsifying health data. He said the criminal association charge carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
Mr. Bolsonaro retains unwavering loyalty among his base, as demonstrated by the outpouring of support that drew an estimated 185,000 people to São Paulo’s main streets last month to denounce what they and the former president called political persecution. ing.
Brazil’s Supreme Electoral Court has already suspended Bolsonaro until 2030, accusing him of abusing his power during the 2022 election and casting unfounded doubts about the country’s electronic voting system. ing.
Other investigations include trying to determine whether Bolsonaro smuggled two sets of expensive diamond jewelry into Brazil and tried to prevent them from becoming part of the president’s public collection. .
The other relates to Lula’s alleged involvement in the riots that took place in the capital Brasilia on January 8, 2023, shortly after he took power, and were similar to the Capitol riot in Washington two years earlier. .
He denied wrongdoing in both cases.
