Bolsonaro returns Saudi jewelry kit after TCU order – 03/24/2023 – Power

After determination of the TCU (Tribunal de Contas da União), former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) delivered to Caixa Econômica Federal in Brasília the jewels he received as a gift from Saudi Arabia in 2021.

The collection would include a watch, pen, cufflinks, ring and some kind of rosary, all from the Swiss diamond brand Chopard.

On the last 15th, the court had determined that the material be delivered to the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic. The president of TCU, minister Bruno Dantas, claimed that Bolsonaro could not keep the jewelry and said that, for a gift to be incorporated into the private assets of a president, it should be classified as a very personal item and be of low value.

The court also determined that the jewelry and watch set valued at BRL 16.5 million that would be for former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, retained by the Revenue at Guarulhos airport (SP) in 2021, should also be sent to Caixa. 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).

This Thursday, Bolsonaro said he will return the weapons he received as a gift from UAE officials in 2019 “with pain in my heart”.

Bolsonaro also said that he would pay, if possible, to keep the equipment, but he would return it as decided by the TCU. The statements were given to TV Record in an interview aired this Thursday (23).

“I confess, with pain in my heart, I’m going to hand over the weapons, with pain in my heart, my name is there, I would pay what I have in my pocket here for those two weapons, but let’s not create any controversy with regard to the weapons,” said the former president.

In October 2021, Albuquerque led an entourage to an international event in Saudi Arabia.

Upon return, a set of luxury items valued at BRL 16.5 million, which includes a necklace, earrings, ring and watch by the Swiss brand Chopard, was retained by the Revenue at the Guarulhos airport (SP) as soon as Albuquerque and the team arrived in Brazil. The case was revealed by the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.

A second package, which includes a watch, pen, cufflinks, ring and a type of rosary, all also from the Swiss diamond brand Chopard and later delivered to Bolsonaro, was in the luggage of one of the members of the entourage and was not intercepted by the Revenue, as showed the Sheet. This package ended up being incorporated into Bolsonaro’s personal collection and will now have to be returned to the Presidency.

Earlier, in 2019, the former president also received a pistol and a rifle from representatives of the United Arab Emirates. The rifle was customized with Bolsonaro’s name, according to information published by the Metrópoles website. The pistol can have prices ranging from R$5,900 to R$15,600. Similar rifle models cost between R$32 and R$42,000.