BRASILIA – Brazil’s Chief Prosecutor Paulo Gonet opted against pursuing charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro regarding fraudulent vaccination records, requesting the Supreme Court to dismiss the case, a document revealed on Thursday.
Mr. Gonet indicated that he could not initiate charges against Bolsonaro solely based on claims stemming from a plea bargain arrangement with a former presidential assistant, asserting that further evidence was necessary to substantiate any allegations.
A legal spokesperson for Mr. Bolsonaro did not promptly reply to a request for a statement. The ex-president has previously denied any misconduct.
This action follows a decision made a day prior, when a Supreme Court panel voted to put Bolsonaro on trial related to another matter, where he is accused of supposedly plotting to overturn the government after his defeat in the 2022 election.
The Federal Police of Brazil formally charged Bolsonaro last year with deception in his vaccination records. Authorities stated that his former aide Mauro Cid illicitly procured COVID-19 vaccination documentation for Bolsonaro and his daughter Laura at the request of the then-president.
The police revealed that the fraudulent certificates were issued “to gain undue benefits linked to the circumvention of health regulations established during the pandemic period.“
Mr. Gonet contended in Thursday’s ruling that allegations of fraud in vaccination records against Bolsonaro relied solely on Cid’s plea bargain agreement.
This plea-bargain arrangement is also connected to the charges related to the attempted coup against Bolsonaro, yet Mr. Gonet mentioned that he opted to press charges in that instance in February since additional evidence supported the claims.
Mr. Gonet still needs to make a decision regarding another police investigation focusing on Mr. Bolsonaro, in which he is accused of misappropriating jewelry gifted by the Saudi state.
Mr. Bolsonaro is prohibited by Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court from seeking public office until 2030 due to his actions aimed at undermining the nation’s electoral system. – Reuters