Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is being investigated on suspicion of having it illegally imported precious jewellery of diamonds donated by Saudi Arabia and has five days to return those in his possession.
Here’s a look at what is known about this case that could become both a legal and political problem for the far-right former president (2019-2022), who It is expected to return to Brazil from the United States soonwhere he has resided since Lula da Silva assumed the presidency on 1 January.
Bolsonaro’s former Minister of Mines and Energy Bento Albuquerque, on an official visit to Saudi Arabia in October 2021, assured that a Saudi government “envoy” delivered to his delegation two packs at the end of his journey, as he revealed to the newspaper O State of S. Paul.
Back in Brazil, customs officers at Guarulhos Airport in São Paulo discovered that an Albuquerque assistant was carrying one of the boxes in his backpack, without declaring
the diamonds
Officials found that the package it was filled with diamond jewelry and seized them for non-payment of the required import duties.
As can be seen from the video surveillance images broadcast by local TV, the former minister assured that the jewels they were intended for First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro.
Speaking to police investigators on Tuesday, Albuquerque tried to be less adamant, saying that because it involved jewelry, he thought they were for the former first ladyaccording to local media.
Bolsonaro’s administration has reportedly tried at least eight times to persuade customs inspectors they will release the jewelswith one last administration on the penultimate day of the mandate.
The second package escaped customs control and it was handed over to Bolsonaro, who would keep it, according to Albuquerque.
Bolsonaro reacted in the early days of the scandal: “They’re accusing me of a gift that I didn’t ask for, nor did I receive. There is no illegality on my part.” he told CNN Brazil.
Both packages contained jewelry from the luxury Swiss brand Chopard.
In the first, there was a necklace, a ring, a watch and a pair of earrings, valued at $3.2 million.
The second contained a watch, a ring, a pen, a pair of cufflinks and a rosary, a set estimated at $75,000 according to Brazilian media.
Prohibited
According to Brazilian law, travelers entering the country with goods exceeding one thousand dollars must declare them.
In this case, the owner would have to pay the import taxes on the jewelry, equivalent to half the value exceeding one thousand dollars.
The former presidential couple could have imported the jewelry tax-free if they had been declared gifts to the Statebut in that case the objects would have remained in the collection of the Presidential Palace of Planalto.
“Government officials they are absolutely prohibited from accepting gifts of high value for themselves, even for the President of the Republic”, said Isac Falcao, president of Sindifisco, the union that represents tax employees.
“Every public official knows that,” he told AFP.
The Federal Police (PF) and the Revenue Agency have opened separate investigators on the case.
The head of the Senate Transparency Committee he also announced an investigation to determine whether the jewels have any connection to the same year sale of an oil refinery in northeastern Brazil to the UAE Mubadala sovereign wealth fund for $1.65 billion.
The first set of jewelry remains at Guarulhos International Airport.
The federal tax authority says that the deadline to regularize its legal situation has expired in July 2022, and that items could now be auctioned off, donated, added to the national heritage or destroyed.
Brazilian media reported on Monday that Bolsonaro had agreed to hand over the second set of jewelry to the authorities.
The Court of Accounts of the Union (TCU), which oversees public coffers, ordered on Wednesday that Bolsonaro I’ll be back in five days the second jewel to the general secretariat of the presidency to be integrated into the state assets.
He also ordered that customs deliver the first package to the same body, just as he ordered an inspection of all gifts during Bolsonaro’s tenure.
Last week he had asked which Bolsonaro and Albuquerque They were questioned by the police.
A date for Bolsonaro’s testimony has not yet been announced.
In a plenary session, the TCU could order the former president on Wednesday to return the jewels as the investigation proceeds.
The episode attracted little attention in Saudi Arabia, where there was no official reaction from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.