5 July 2024 Punjab Khabarnama : Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been indicted for money laundering and criminal association related to undeclared diamonds from Saudi Arabia. This is his second formal accusation, and there may be more to come for the far-right leader.
Two individuals with information about the situation verified the indictment by Federal Police on Thursday. This comes after another formal accusation in May against Bolsonaro for supposedly falsifying his COVID-19 vaccination certificate. Both sources requested anonymity as they were not permitted to disclose the information publicly.
The police report containing the latest indictment has not yet been received by Brazil’s Supreme Court. Once received, the country’s prosecutor-general, Paulo Gonet, will examine the document and determine whether to press charges and compel Bolsonaro to face trial.
The legal threats facing the controversial former leader have been significantly increased by the indictment, which is praised by his adversaries but condemned as political persecution by his followers.
Bolsonaro has not commented yet, but he and his lawyers have previously denied any wrongdoing in both of those cases, as well as in other investigations related to the former president. One investigation is looking into his potential role in inciting an uprising in the capital Brasilia on January 8, 2023, which aimed to remove his successor from power.
According to one of the sources, in addition to Bolsonaro, the police have indicted 10 others, including Cid and two of his lawyers, Frederick Wassef and Fábio Wajngarten. Wassef stated that he has not seen the final report of the investigation and criticized the selective leaks to the press, considering that the investigation is supposed to be confidential.
The former army captain, who is now 69 years old, began his political journey as a strong supporter of Brazil’s military dictatorship and served as a legislator for almost thirty years. During his initial presidential campaign in 2018, he was largely disregarded as an outsider and considered excessively conservative. However, he astounded analysts by achieving a resounding triumph, largely attributed to his portrayal of himself as an honest citizen in the aftermath of a widespread corruption investigation that implicated numerous politicians and business leaders.
“This year is marked by mayoral elections. Moraes and his colleagues are aware that it would be even more challenging to prosecute a former president who still enjoys popularity, especially in a year like this,” Melo stated. “This indictment adds another element to the equation. It presents an additional issue for Bolsonaro. There will be further complications.”
In 2021, the highest electoral court in Brazil determined that Bolsonaro misused his presidential authority in his campaign for reelection in 2022. As a result, he was disqualified from participating in any elections until 2030. The case revolved around a meeting where Bolsonaro utilized government employees, the state television channel, and the presidential palace in Brasilia to inform foreign ambassadors that the nation’s electronic voting system was manipulated.