Brazil’s federal police on Thursday formally charged former President Jair Bolsonaro with embezzlement for allegedly misappropriating jewelry he received while head of state, including luxury items given by the government of Saudi Arabia, two police sources said.
This is the second time police have formally charged Bolsonaro with a crime. He was accused in March of falsifying his COVID-19 vaccine records.
The jewelry, some made by Switzerland’s Chopard, was valued at $3.2 million and included a diamond necklace, ring, watch and earrings given to Bolsonaro and former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro by the Saudi government.
Some of the jewelry was seized by customs officials at Sao Paulo International Airport in October 2021 when it was found in the backpack of a government aide returning from Riyadh.
Police charged Bolsonaro with money laundering, criminal association and embezzlement, according to one of the sources, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Brazil’s federal police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Bolsonaro’s lawyer did not return calls seeking comment. His legal defense had previously denied that the former president had committed any crime. His eldest son Flavio, who is a senator, wrote on Thursday on his account on the social media platform “X” that Bolsonaro was “being persecuted”.
In an investigation authorized by Supreme Court Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes, police last year searched the homes of army officers who allegedly helped Bolsonaro sell some of the jewelry to the United States.
At the time, Judge Moraes said the items had been sold and the sale had not been declared.
Police also formally charged on Thursday former mines and energy minister Bento Albuquerque, whose aide had returned with him from a visit to Riyadh, Bolsonaro’s former aide Mauro Cid, who is allegedly involved in the jewelry sale, his lawyer Frederick Wassef and his representative Fabio Wajngarten, according to a source.
In his account on “X,” Wajngarten said the charge was “arbitrary, unfair and persecutory,” arguing that he had just ordered Bolsonaro to return the gifts to Brazil’s audit court.
Sid’s lawyer noted in a statement that his client has agreed with Brazilian authorities, saying the police charge is just another phase of the investigation.
Wassef said in a statement that he only bought one watch in the United States with his own money to return to Brazilian authorities. According to him, neither Sid nor Bolsonaro had told him to buy back the watch.
Albuquerque could not immediately be reached for comment.
News website G1 reported earlier Thursday that police had formally charged Bolsonaro.
Brazil’s attorney general can now choose whether to charge Bolsonaro based on the police charges. Later, the former president could be indicted if a judge accepts those potential charges.
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