Jair Bolsonaro admits sending dollars to the United States, but claims he did so out of fear of Lula’s policies

Former Brazilian president JAria Bolsonaro He admitted on Friday to sending 800,000 reais (about $163,265) to an account in the United States shortly before his term ended, but said he did so out of fear of the economic policies his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, would pursue. Done. to adopt.

The far-right leader clarified the situation in a video later published on his social networks the press leaked a document according to which the federal police suspect that the former president intended to use the resources to finance his stay in the United States waiting a possible coup in Brazil.

“The press says that, according to the federal police, in December 2022 I sent 800,000 reais to the United States in anticipation of a coup. Send yes“, said the former president, under investigation for his alleged participation, as a mentor, in the January 8, 2023 coup attempt against Lula.

Bolsonaro made it clear that the transfer It was made from your savings account of the state-owned Banco do Brasil to a branch of the same entity in the United States, so, he said, the money was kept in a Brazilian bank.

“Sending money abroad is not a crime in Brazil”

He added it Sending money abroad is not a crime in Brazil and that in 2023 alone, Brazilians transferred $2.1 billion to accounts in other countries.

“And they did it, just like I did, because tWe had doubts about politics and economics of the current left-wing president,” he said.

“I wanted to tell our beloved Federal Police that the last country in the world where a dictator or a coup plotter would send money is the United States because it is a democratic country that respects treaties, so those resources they would be immediately blocked“, he assured, denying the accusations.

According to the former head of state, dictators They usually send their assets to tax havens and not in the United States.

According to the Federal Police, the transfer It was made on December 27, 2022five days before Lula assumed his third term as president of Brazil and three days before Bolsonaro traveled to Miami so as not to have to hand over the presidential sash to his successor.

The Supreme Court judge investigating the former president’s possible participation in the coup attempt and alleged planning of a coup in the final months of 2022 ordered last week that Bolsonaro You will hand over your passport to the authorities to prevent your possible departure from the country.

On February 8, an infamous police operation was carried out following which Bolsonaro was forced to hand over his passport and which also led to the arrest of four prominent far-right figures.

According to the investigation, the hard core of Bolsonarism discussed the possibility of preventing Lula from taking office after the elections won in October 2022.

This conspiracy, even if it did not materialize, would later lead the far-right leadership to encourage the violent assault on the offices of the three branches of government on January 8, 2023, which, according to Justice, was The purpose was to force a “military intervention” to overthrow the Lula government.