Brazil’s Federal Police have concluded that former president Jair Bolsonaro was involved in the embezzlement or attempted embezzlement of over BRL 6.8 million worth of gifts, including sculptures, jewelry, and watches, received from foreign countries during his term as the country’s president.
According to the report, some of the received jewelry was transported out of Brazil in a suitcase on the presidential plane on December 30, 2022, when Bolsonaro left the country to spend a season in the United States at the end of his term.
The police investigation uncovered a criminal association specifically aimed at embezzling and selling valuables received by Bolsonaro as official gifts.
“It was also found that the proceeds from these sales were converted into cash and added to the personal assets of the former president, using intermediaries and bypassing the formal banking system to conceal the origin, location, and ownership of the funds,” the police report states.
Bolsonaro and 11 others were indicted last week for embezzlement, criminal association, and money laundering. The investigation report was delivered in printed form, in an envelope, to the Federal Supreme Court protocol on Friday (Jul. 5).
The confidentiality of the Federal Police report, spanning 476 pages, was lifted on Monday (8) by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the Supreme Court’s rapporteur on the case. The judge referred the case to the Attorney General’s Office for analysis. The office must now decide whether to file the case or indict the accused. Additionally, the agency may request further evidence collection.
Source: Agência Brasil