Bolsonaro government tried to illegally bring to Brazil a set of jewels valued at 3 million euros (R$ 16.5 million)
the former president Jair Bolsonaro
(PL) must testify to the Federal police
to explain attempts to release diamond jewelry valued at R$ 16.5 million from Saudi Arabia. the former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro
and former Minister of Mines and Energy Bento Albuquerque
should also be heard about the items confiscated by the PF in 2021.
According to information from journalist Julia Duailibi, from GloboNews, revealed that sources from the Federal Police of São Paulo and Brasília told that the authorities want to listen to “all those involved in the case” to clarify all the facts.
The PF has yet to assess the best way to tap all the people involved in the case: as witnesses or as suspects. The aim is not to make any mistakes so as not to jeopardize the investigation.
the first package
A report by “O Estado de S. Paulo”, revealed that a package of jewels, valued at BRL 16.5 million, were delivered by the government of Saudi Arabia to Michelle Bolsonaro, who visited the Arab country in October 2021. the gifts were a ring, necklace, watch and diamond earrings.
However, upon arriving in the country, the pieces were found at the customs at Guarulhos Airport, in São Paulo, in the backpack of an advisor to Bento Albuquerque, then Minister of Mines and Energy. He still tried to use his office to release the diamonds, however, he was unable to recover them, since in Brazil the law determines that all assets worth more than US$ 1,000 must be declared. By law, the advisor should have declared the jewelry and paid a fee of 50% of the value, R$ 8.25 million. This advisor will also be called to testify to the PF.
Faced with this fact, the Bolsonaro government would have tried eight times to recover the jewels, through the ministries of Economy, Mines and Energy and Foreign Affairs. The then president even sent a letter to the Federal Revenue, requesting that the jewels be sent to the Presidency of the Republic.
In the last attempt, three days before leaving the government, a civil servant used a Brazilian Air Force (FAB) plane to travel to Guarulhos. He would have identified himself as “Jairo” and argued that no object from the previous government could be left to the next one.
Bolsonaro’s former head of the Assistance of Orders, Mauro Cesar Barbosa Cid, sent a letter to the Federal Revenue on December 28, 2022 asking for the release of the seized jewels.
In the document, Cid mandated advisor Jairo Moreira da Silva, a first lieutenant in the Navy, to embark for São Paulo and remove the jewels.
In the letter, it is clear the effort on the part of the then Cabinet of the President of the Republic to retain the jewels before the end of the government, however, this would not be up to Lieutenant Colonel Cid or anyone from Bolsonaro’s cabinet. By law, gifts of this type are cataloged and sent to the Presidency’s collection.
the second pack
The second package of diamond jewelry given by the Saudi Arabian government was listed as the former president’s private collection. The revelation was made this Tuesday (7) by the Federal Police. Until then, the whereabouts of the set were unknown.
A document arrived in the hands of the federal police in which there is information that indicates that the items were counted as personal property of the former representative. However, the law states that the objects must be State property.
The set was delivered by the Saudi government to Bolsonaro’s entourage in October 2021. The objects are: watch, pen, cufflinks, ring and a type of rosary, all from the Swiss diamond brand Chopard.
The PF included the document in the investigation and will now listen to officials who transported the material and listed it as private property. The federal police will analyze whether the former president took the jewelry and took it out of the country.
Investigators point to a possible crime of embezzlement, as the jewels entered without paying tax, and cannot enter Bolsonaro’s private collection.
The second set of gifts was not apprehended by the Federal Revenue Service.
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