A poorly told story – 07/03/2023 – Elio Gaspari

The story of the jewelry brought from Saudi Arabia in the backpack of an advisor to the then Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque, needs to be better told.

According to Admiral Albuquerque, the packages were delivered in 2021 by a person from the Saudi government to the Brazilian delegation that left Riyadh. Still according to him, they would be gifts for Michelle Bolsonaro, wife of the then Brazilian president.

What is this person called? The House of Saud reigns in Arabia, with protocols. Brazil has an embassy in Arabia, and Arabia has an embassy in Brasília. If the wife of the President of the Republic would receive a necklace, earrings and a ring, the channel for sending the gift would be the embassy. In a higher degree of courtesy, the ambassador in Brasilia would deliver the gift to the Itamaraty or, as the case may be, to the lady herself. Thus, kindness is formalized. Once things were done according to the ceremonial, courtesy was emphasized and the tax issue was left in the background. The chic iFood method ended up in trouble, revealed now by reporters Adriana Fernandes and André Borges. As an inevitable prop, Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid also appeared, taking care of the release of the jewels, without success. All of this, with the routine of picking up cards, a hallmark of the captain’s administration.

The person who received the unopened packages in Riyadh must remember the name or position of the person who asked him to carry the package. If you don’t remember, you should never do it again. The world’s prisons are full of young people caught with cocaine, saying they don’t remember who asked them to transport the packages.

There is yet another little-told detail in the story of Arabian jewels. A valuable gift like that would be delivered like a sandwich. A card is missing with an elegant message to the recipient. Who remembers receiving a gift without a word of affection?

It is certain, however, that Bolsonaro tried to recover the jewelry seized by the Revenue. Always at the base of the portfolio. Fortunately, the auditors shielded the institution.

From what is known so far, the Saudi government would have sent the jewels. That impersonal figure does not exist in that part of the world. The Saudis, as well as the neighboring emirs, like to give gifts to visitors, always strengthening a personal relationship.

Admiral Flávio Augusto Viana Rocha, special secretary for Strategic Affairs during the Bolsonaro government, has accumulated vast experience in negotiations with the Saudis and neighboring emirs. When consulted, he would certainly have a good word to say about this matter, preventing, or even avoiding, the scandal.

Few governments have had such close ties with both the Saudis and the Emiratis. It’s surprising that he tripped over the jewelry boxes.

PRESENT LINK: Did you like this text? Subscriber can release five free hits of any link per day. Just click the blue F below.