By Rodrigo Viga Gaier and Lisandra Paraguassu
(Reuters) – Federal Audit Court (TCU) minister Augusto Nardes ordered former president Jair Bolsonaro to refrain from selling or using jewelry received as a gift from Saudi Arabia that would have entered Brazil illegally.
The minister’s decision was issued on the basis of representation by deputy Luciene Cavalcante (PSOL-SP), complemented by representation of the deputy attorney general at TCU, Lucas Rocha Furtado, asking for the investigation of evidence of irregularities involving Saudi jewels.
“Considering the high value of the assets involved and, also, the possible existence of assets that are in the possession of Jair Bolsonaro, as reported by the press, I believe it is important to determine that the person responsible preserves intact, as a faithful depositary, until further deliberation of this Court of Accounts, refraining from using, disposing or disposing of any piece from the jewel collection object of the process under examination”, says the minister in the decision.
Nardes also determined that Bolsonaro and former Minister of Mines and Energy Bento Albuquerque be heard on the case, which involves a batch of jewelry withheld by the Federal Revenue and a package of gifts delivered to Bolsonaro.
Bento appears in videos broadcast by the press trying to recover part of the jewelry that was retained by the Federal Revenue in Garulhos – a set valued at 16.5 million reais that, according to the holders, were intended for the then first lady Michelle Bolsonaro. Planalto undertook several initiatives to recover the jewels, including an attempt days before the end of the former president’s term.
Another jewelry case would be in Bolsonaro’s power.
In addition to TCU, four other institutions have already publicly announced that they will investigate the episode: the Federal Police, the Federal Public Ministry, the Federal Revenue and the Comptroller General of the Union.
In a statement, the TCU informs that “it adopted the necessary measures to clean up the records by carrying out a due diligence with the Federal Police and the Federal Revenue Service, as well as hearing from those responsible Jair Messias Bolsonaro and Bento Albuquerque, through the dispatch of the rapporteur , Minister Augusto Nardes”.
Self-exiled in the United States since the end of December last year, Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing.
(Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier in Rio de Janeiro and Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasília;)