In connection with what they claimed to be an investigation into the suspected forgery of COVID-19 immunization cards, Brazil’s Federal Police searched the house of the former president Jair Bolsonaro and confiscated his phone. Additional locations were searched, and police said six people would be arrested.
During a press conference, the former president acknowledged the search of his home. His wife Michelle also acknowledged the search on her social media page. She said that, in contrast to media accounts, her phone was not seized.
Bolsonaro’s closest associates, Mauro Cid, was arrested, according to a federal police official who went on the record under the condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to speak to the media.
In response to a question regarding the search of Bolsonaro’s residence, the Federal Police press office released a statement stating that, police has conducted 16 searches and made six arrests in Rio de Janeiro, in connection with the introduction of false information about the COVID-19 vaccine into the country’s healthcare system. Bolsonaro was not mentioned in the statement.
Moreover, Bolsonaro, his advisers, and members of his family had manipulated vaccination records. The ex-President spent months casting doubt on the vaccine’s effectiveness during the pandemic, and stubbornly refusing to receive a dose. That raised questions about his ability to travel to New York for the U.N. General Assembly in September 2021.
“There was no adulteration on my part, it didn’t happen,” Bolsonaro disclosed after the search. “I didn’t take the vaccine, period. I never denied that,” the ex-President said.
Bolsonario Faces Other Criminal Charges
The investigation adds to Bolsonaro’s growing list of legal troubles. Inquiries into three sets of diamond jewelry he received from Saudi Arabia and his potential involvement in the January 8, 2023 uprising by his supporters in the capital, led the Federal Police to question him twice in the past month at their Brasilia headquarters.
Brazil’s Electoral Court has been looking into Bolsonaro’s behavior during the campaign for president, particularly his unfounded allegations that, the nation’s electronic voting system was vulnerable to fraud. These could hinder his political rights and chances standing for office in upcoming elections.
Separately, Bolsonaro and his followers are being investigated by the federal police for allegedly committing acts of genocide against the Indigenous Yanomami people in the Amazon rainforest, by inciting illegal miners to invade their territory and endangering their lives. These investigations are both being led by the Supreme Court of Brazil.
In every one of the numerous cases under investigation, the former president has denied any misconduct.
According to police statement, between November 2021 and December 2022, fraudulent COVID-19 data were inserted, allowing unvaccinated traveler’s records be changed to meet the U.S. vaccine requirement to enter the United States. Investigation results suggest the goal was tied to “ideological agendas” and intended to “sustain the discourse aimed at attacking the vaccine against COVID-19,” according to the statement.
Despite limits of compelling scientific data, Bolsonaro still maintained that, the anti-malarial drug, Hydroxychloroquine, was effective against COVID 19, without any prove. The former president of Brazil once forewarned the populace that, anyone experiencing adverse effects would not be able to sue Pfizer. His allegation that the COVID 19 vaccine causes AIDS, which was refuted by medical professionals and scientists, led a Justice on Brazil’s top court to launch an investigation into his remarks.
The second-highest pandemic fatalities in the world, were recorded by Brazil. According to a legislative probe, Bolsonaro should be charged for mismanaging the country’s COVID-19 response, particularly his insistence on using experimental therapies, which were not proven effective.
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