Brazil: Senate calls for Bolsonaro to be charged over COVID response

A Senate committee report has recommended President Jair Bolsonaro be indicted on 10 charges related to his government's handling of the pandemic. The right-wing leader has previously downplayed the virus.

A Brazilian Senate committee has recommended that President Jair Bolsonaro face charges for the way in which he handled the government response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The nearly 1,200 page report is the culmination of 6 months of investigative work and calls for Bolsonaro to be indicted on 10 charges including crimes against humanity.

In addition to the recommended charges, the committee also says that the president should be impeached.

What will happen next?

Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing and claims the inquiry is a political tool meant to sabotage him.

Brazil comes in third position, behind India  and the US, in terms of COVID-19 infections and has had more than 600,000 deaths as a result of the virus.

The right-wing populist leader has downplayed the gravity of the virus, and in the early stages of the pandemic said it was a "little flu."

A vote on the report's recommendations will be held by the investigative committee on October 26. Additions may still be submitted up until that time.

A majority vote is needed before the recommendations can proceed to the prosecutor general's office. From there it will be decided whether charges will be pursued.

kb/wd (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)