Bolsonaros keep mum in probe of undeclared Saudi, Bahrain jewellery gifts

Brasilia: Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and his wife Michelle chose to remain silent when they appeared before the country’s federal police to testify in an investigation into rich jewellery gifts they received from Arab heads of state and never declared.

They were called to testify at police headquarters in the capital Brasilia on Thursday (Friday AEST), along with Bolsonaro’s former aide-de-camp Mauro Cid, his father, a retired army general, and another military officer who was a presidential aide.

Saudi Arabia gifted jewellery to Michelle and Jair Bolsonaro via a government representative in 2021.Credit: AP

To justify their silence, Bolsonaro’s defence team argued that the case should be heard in Sao Paulo, where some of the jewellery was seized by customs agents at Guarulhos Airport when Bolsonaro representatives returned from official talks in the Middle East, and not in the jurisdiction of Brasilia.

The gifts of jewellery, expensive watches and gold-plated statuettes from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were never declared, and only came to light when Bolsonaro tried to recover a batch seized by customs, police investigations showed.

A diamond necklace, ring, watch and earrings, made by Chopard of Switzerland, worth about $US3.2 million ($4.9 million) were given to the then president and his wife and were found in the backpack of a government aide who had travelled to Riyadh with then energy minister Bento Albuquerque in October 2021.

Brazilians are allowed to import $US1000 or less worth of goods when returning from overseas. Hefty taxes apply for anything over that value.

Gifted jewellery items seized by customs authorities at Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil.Credit: AP

After the presidential gifts became a matter of public knowledge, a court ordered the couple to hand them over to the state. Bolsonaro aides and his lawyer then sought to buy back items that had been sold in the United States, the police said.

Prosecutors said the correct jurisdiction for the case was Brasilia, where the investigation was ordered by Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

It was the fifth time that Bolsonaro has been summoned by police to make depositions in a series of investigations, ranging from his attacks on the country’s election system to his suspected role in inciting his supporters to storm government buildings to protest his election defeat.

The far-right former president lost his bid for re-election in October last year to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who took office on January 1.

His presidential offices, the Supreme Court and Congress were invaded and vandalised by Bolsonaro supporters on January 8. Bolsonaro left the country for an extended holiday in the US on December 31.

The former first couple spent the last two days preparing with their team of lawyers and advisers, officials in his political party said.

Both opted to remain silent, however, for fear that his former aide Cid, who has been in jail since May, could contradict their account and implicate the couple by seeking a plea bargain.

“Everyone is very worried about what could have come out if Cid confesses,” said one party source with direct knowledge of the situation.

Cid, who handled the Bolsonaro finances, was arrested for his suspected involvement in a scheme to provide Bolsonaro with false vaccine certificates during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reuters

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