Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro speaks at a Turning Point USA event in Doral
Sat, March 4, 2023 at 8:22 AM MST·2 min read
SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro on Saturday denied committing "illegal acts" after a report that jewelry allegedly gifted by Saudi Arabia to him and his wife was brought into the South American nation without being declared to authorities.
The government of Bolsonaro's successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, pledged to investigate the matter.
On Friday, O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper reported that a member of Bolsonaro's government had illegally tried to bring to Brazil a $3.2 million jewelry set consisting of a diamond necklace, ring, watch and earrings gifted to the far-right former president and former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro by the Saudi government.
The Saudi embassy in Brazil did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"I'm being accused of a gift I neither asked for nor received," Bolsonaro was quoted as saying in an interview with CNN Brasil. "There is no illegality on my part. I never committed illegal acts."
Still, Lula aides promised that probe into the matter would be launched.
Justice Minister Flavio Dino said he would request a federal police investigation, while Paulo Pimenta, a spokesman for the leftist Brazilian president, stressed there would be no impunity.
"The evidence is robust and the truth will out," Pimenta said in a social media broadcast.
According to O Estado de S. Paulo, the jewels valued at 3 million euros ($3.19 million) were found by customs agents in the backpack of an aide to then-Mines and Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque who was returning from an official trip to the Middle East in October 2021.
Agents at the Guarulhos airport in Sao Paulo seized the jewelry, as people must declare any goods worth more than $1,000 when they enter Brazil, the newspaper said, adding that the Bolsonaro administration unsuccessfully tried to recover the jewelry multiple times through government officials.
Bolsonaro is in the United States, having flown to Florida in late December, 48 hours before Lula was sworn in. He attended the CPAC conservative conference in Washington on Saturday where he was also expected to meet former U.S. President Donald Trump, his political ally.
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(Reporting by Paula Arend Laier and Gabriel Araujo; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Paul Simao)
Brazil's Bolsonaro says 'mission still not over' in speech to US CPAC
Sat, March 4, 2023
NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland (Reuters) - Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Saturday his mission was "still not over" after leading Latin America's largest country for one term, indicating he could be planning a potential fresh run in 2026.
Addressing the U.S. CPAC conservative conference being held near Washington, Bolsonaro, currently in self-imposed exile in Florida after losing his re-election bid last year, did not mention when he planned to return to Brazil, despite being asked by his party to lead the right-wing opposition.
"I thank God for the mission of being president of Brazil for one term. But I feel deep inside that this mission is still not over," Bolsonaro said in a speech.
Bolsonaro has refused to concede defeat to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and faces mounting legal jeopardy in Brazil in various criminal and electoral probes.
The far-right leader received ovations from the conservative audience when he mentioned his steps to ease gun ownership regulations and his anti-abortion and anti-vaccine stances.
He questioned the results of the Brazilian elections of last October, saying he could not understand how the ballot numbers did not reflect the support he appeared to have on the streets.
Bolsonaro has made unfounded claims that Brazil's electronic voting system was vulnerable to fraud, spawning a violent movement of election deniers.
The former president, who holds former U.S. President Donald Trump as his political idol, boasted that he was "the last president in the world to recognize" Joe Biden's election victory in 2020. He is expected to meet Trump later on Saturday.
Bolsonaro said he would not have allowed two Iranian warships to dock in Rio de Janeiro this week, which Lula's government approved last month despite pressure from the U.S. to deny them entry.
(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo in Sao Paulo; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Sat, March 4, 2023
NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland (Reuters) - Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Saturday his mission was "still not over" after leading Latin America's largest country for one term, indicating he could be planning a potential fresh run in 2026.
Addressing the U.S. CPAC conservative conference being held near Washington, Bolsonaro, currently in self-imposed exile in Florida after losing his re-election bid last year, did not mention when he planned to return to Brazil, despite being asked by his party to lead the right-wing opposition.
"I thank God for the mission of being president of Brazil for one term. But I feel deep inside that this mission is still not over," Bolsonaro said in a speech.
Bolsonaro has refused to concede defeat to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and faces mounting legal jeopardy in Brazil in various criminal and electoral probes.
The far-right leader received ovations from the conservative audience when he mentioned his steps to ease gun ownership regulations and his anti-abortion and anti-vaccine stances.
He questioned the results of the Brazilian elections of last October, saying he could not understand how the ballot numbers did not reflect the support he appeared to have on the streets.
Bolsonaro has made unfounded claims that Brazil's electronic voting system was vulnerable to fraud, spawning a violent movement of election deniers.
The former president, who holds former U.S. President Donald Trump as his political idol, boasted that he was "the last president in the world to recognize" Joe Biden's election victory in 2020. He is expected to meet Trump later on Saturday.
Bolsonaro said he would not have allowed two Iranian warships to dock in Rio de Janeiro this week, which Lula's government approved last month despite pressure from the U.S. to deny them entry.
(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo in Sao Paulo; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
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