Bolsonaro government alleged use of collection to retrieve jewelry – 03/04/2023 – Power

The government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) tried to recover a set of jewelry and a watch given by the government of Saudi Arabia under the allegation that the objects would be analyzed for incorporation “to the private collection of the President of the Republic or to the public collection of the Presidency of the Republic” .

The information is contained in documents published on social networks by the former head of the Special Secretariat for Social Communication in the Bolsonaro administration, Fabio Wajngarten.

This Friday (3), the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo revealed that the Bolsonaro government tried to illegally bring to Brazil a set of jewelry and a watch valued at 3 million euros (about R$ 16.5 million ). The pieces would be a gift from the government of Saudi Arabia to the then first lady Michelle Bolsonaro.

On a social network, Michelle denied being the owner of the jewels, but gave no further explanations and joked: “You mean ‘I have all this’ and I didn’t know? My God! You’re really going far, huh?! I’m laughing at the lack of fit from this press [sic] vexing,” he posted on Instagram.

The luxury items were in the backpack of a military man, who at the time was an advisor to the then Minister Bento Albuquerque (Mines and Energy). They were seized by the Federal Revenue in October 2021.

The military man responsible for the backpack was part of Albuquerque’s entourage, who was in Riyadh — the capital of the Arab country — between October 22 and 25, 2021, according to his official agenda. During this period, Bolsonaro was in Brazil, where he attended a lunch at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Brasília on the 25th.

Bento Albuquerque told the newspaper that the shipment was a gift for Michelle, but said he did not know the contents of the jewelry case. Later sought by SheetAlbuquerque denied that his team tried to bring expensive gifts intended for Bolsonaro and Michelle.

The action was confirmed by Minister Paulo Pimenta, from the Special Secretariat for Social Communication of the Lula government (PT), who published on the social network, still on Friday, photos of the seized luxury items and a document that reports what happened at the customs from Guarulhos airport (SP).

Early this Saturday (4), Wajngarten reacted with the publication of documents requesting the release of items for evaluation and possible incorporation into the collection.

One of the acts is dated October 29, 2021, although it was effectively signed on November 3 of the same year. The author is Marcelo da Silva Vieira, assistant chief of staff for Historical Documentation in the personal office of the President of the Republic.

In the text, addressed to the chief of staff of the Minister of Mines and Energy, José Roberto Bueno Júnior, there is a request that the jewels be sent for evaluation.

“In this sense, considering the provisions of the current legislation that guides the work of this office and, also, the content of the Explanatory Memorandum No. 59, of October 8, 2021, the gifts received by the Minister of State for Mines and Energy in the capacity representative of the President of the Republic, on the occasion of the Official Visit to [sic] Riyadh, United Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, fall under the condition of referral to this GADH for analysis regarding the incorporation into the private collection of the President of the Republic or the public collection of the Presidency of the Republic, as provided, respectively, in articles 2 and 3, item II, of the aforementioned Decree 4.344/2002”, says the document.

Another letter, issued by Bento Albuquerque’s office on November 3, 2021, but which did not have Wajngarten’s signature exposed, was sent to the chief of staff of the Special Secretary of the Federal Revenue, Antônio Márcio de Oliveira Aguiar.

The subject of the text was “the release and proper legal destination of gifts retained by this Body, which were offered on the occasion of official events abroad”.

“Considering the specific condition of the Minister — representative of the President of the Republic; the impracticability of refusing or immediately returning gifts due to current circumstances; and the historical, cultural and artistic values ​​of the goods offered; it is necessary and essential that it be given the appropriate legal destination to the collection”, says the document, without mentioning which collection the items would be directed to.

The former secretary also published a document in English, in which Albuquerque communicated to the Saudi Arabian Minister of Energy that the items would be “incorporated into the official Brazilian collection”.

The IRS did not respond to questions from the Sheet. Attorney Frederick Wassef, an advocate for the former president, said he would not comment.

On Friday night, Lula’s Minister of Justice and Public Security, Flávio Dino, said he would call the Federal Police to investigate the case.

“Facts related to jewels, which may constitute the crimes of embezzlement, embezzlement and money laundering, among other possible crimes, will be brought to the Federal Police’s official knowledge for legal measures. Official letter will follow on Monday”, he stated.