Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was questioned by federal police on Tuesday as part of an investigation into allegations against him falsified vaccination cards against COVID-19 to meet US vaccination requirements.
Police have not publicly named those targeted by their investigation, but local media reports said authorities they are reviewing Bolsonaro’s vaccination recordsfrom your advisors and family members and if they were changed prior to your trip to the United States.
Bolsonaro, who arrived at the Brasilia police headquarters on Tuesday afternoon to issue an affidavit, denied having committed any improper action, stating that never claimed to be vaccinated nor did he submit any documents indicating that he was.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the then president spent months questioning the vaccine’s effectiveness. A police statement on the investigation said the falsification of vaccination records was intended to “support the speech aimed at attacking the vaccine against COVID-19”, but did not provide further details.
The investigation
Bolsonaro’s affidavit on Tuesday is a step forward in one of several investigations against the far-right former president.
A few weeks ago, the Brazilian police broke into Bolsonaro’s residence and confiscated his phone. Authorities searched several more sites and issued arrest warrants for half a dozen people, including key Bolsonaro allies. One of them was Mauro Cid, an army lieutenant colonel who had been Bolsonaro’s right-hand man.
Bolsonaro told reporters earlier this month that he hadn’t faked anything, saying “it didn’t happen.” He noted that his vaccination records were not required for any of his travels to the United States. “I didn’t get vaccinated, period. I’ve never denied it.”
Bolsonaro has traveled to the US at least three times after the US nation began requiring in November 2021 that non-citizens be fully vaccinated in order to enter.
Other legal headaches for Bolsonaro include an investigation his role in the uprising in the capital Brasilia a week after the inauguration of the left-wing president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Thousands of loyal Bolsonaro supporters stormed the Federal Supreme Court, Congress and the presidential palace, demanding Lula’s removal. Hundreds of them will be judged.
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.