Brazil Police Say They Might Conclude 3 Jair Bolsonaro Probes By July
Brazil Federal Police Director General Andrei Rodrigues recently announced on Tuesday that the three ongoing probes regarding former President Jair Bolsonaro may be concluding soon, with all three possibly concluding as early as next month.
According to Reuters, this would be the final step on whether or not the right-wing populist known as the "Trump of the Tropics" would be formally accused of crimes. Bolsonaro is facing several serious accusations, including masterminding coup attempts against political rival Lula, as well as his involvement in the January 8 riots, which mirrored the January 6 Capitol Insurrection in the US.
Bolsonaro is also accused of pawning jewelry given to his administration by the Saudi government and tampering with COVID-19 vaccination records. During his time as president, Brazil was one of the hardest-hit countries when the pandemic was going on, and Bolsonaro being a staunch anti-vaxxer did not help.
"Our expectation is that in June we will conclude the first two investigations, on jewelry and vaccines, and in July we will finalize the coup investigation," said Rodrigues in a press conference.
The police chief also noted that with FBI assistance, a new jewel potentially linked to the case was discovered, and "That only strengthened the investigation." Bolsonaro allegedly pawned these jewels in the US and possibly committed embezzlement.
As for his COVID-19 vaccination scandal, the infamous anti-vaxxer former president reportedly forged his vaccination records to permit his travel to the United States while also maintaining that he has never taken a COVID-19 vaccine.
Jair Bolsonaro Defends Former Minister of Education Over Corruption Charges
Many of Bolsonaro's cabinet members and former administration officials are also under investigation. While some have been tied to his alleged coup attempt and other crimes, others are being investigated over completely different ones, such as former education minister Milton Ribeiro.
READ MORE : Brazil Police Officially Open Investigation Into Jair Bolsonaro Stay at Hungarian Embassy
Yahoo! Life reported that Ribeiro is under investigation for suspected corruption involving education funds. However, Bolsonaro recently called the investigation "frivolous" and defended his former education minister.
"I still believe in Milton, if something comes up, he will answer for his actions," said the embattled former president who is currently barred from holding office because of his crimes, He added that Ribero's arrest was an attempt "to wear down the government."
Jair Bolsonaro Was Just Recently Hospitalized Over a Skin Infection
Despite trying to present himself with much machismo and strength, Bolsonaro has been plagued with several health conditions and was recently hospitalized for a skin infection.
Early last month, the notorious anti-vaxxer was hospitalized again in the northern city of Manaus, and Reuters reported that his skin infection was caused by a bacterial infection. Bolsonaro himself stated that his hospitalization was caused by erysipelas, a skin disease that he previously had in 2022.
When the January 8 Brasilia riots happened, he was not in the country but was in Florida for a medical procedure. However, the attempted coup was still tied to him and the people close to him.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: Bolsonaro investigation: Brazil's supreme court releases compromising video - Al Jazeera English
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