Bolsonaro tells the PF that he was on medication when he published false information about elections

in deposition

Bolsonaro’s defense says that the former president was going to send a video by WhatsApp, but he was wrong and published it on Facebook

The defense of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) alleged to the Federal Police, this Wednesday (26), that the former president was under the effect of medication when he shared a video with false information that questioned the result of the last election. After the publication on social networks, the former representative became the target of an investigation that investigates those responsible for the coup acts of January 8. The process is reported by Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF).

The information that the former president was medicated when he made the post was released by Bolsonaro’s former minister and lawyer, Fabio Wajngarten. The former head of Secom reinforced that Bolsonaro himself repudiated the violent protests that took place in Brasília.

Investigated as one of the intellectual authors and instigator of the acts, Bolsonaro also stated, in a statement to the PF, that the intention was to send the video via WhatsApp – and not to publish it on Facebook. The post was deleted about two hours after it was posted. At the time, Bolsonaro had been discharged after being hospitalized with severe abdominal pain, in the United States, and would have been medicated with morphine, according to the lawyers.

“It was a mistake (by Jair Bolsonaro) when saving the file to watch later. He was the one who posted it, but it was an incident. He was warned of the error and deleted it,” said Paulo Cunha Bueno, the former president’s lawyer.

Wajngarten claimed that posting to Facebook via cell phone takes “a mere two clicks”. “The posting mechanic takes just two clicks. We attached an illustrative video to the statement on how the post is made”, argued Bolsonaro’s former minister.

In the video shared by the former representative, a prosecutor from Mato Grosso do Sul discloses theses already denied about the October elections. The magistrate says, for example, that the Brazilian people do not have “power” over the vote counting process.

Bolsonaro’s testimony to the PF about the coup acts lasted more than two hours. The hearing of the former representative at the PF headquarters, in Brasília, was the second in less than a month. On April 5, he was heard by the PF for 2:30 am to explain about the jewelry he received as a gift from Saudi Arabia.

The former head of Secom spoke to the press after Bolsonaro’s testimony. In addition to Wajngarten, the former president was accompanied by lawyers Daniel Tesser and Paulo Cunha Bueno.

Accusations against the former president

Bolsonaro was included in the investigation that investigates the invasion of the buildings of the Palácio do Planalto, the National Congress and the STF, with depredation of public property, in early January.

The PGR maintained that Bolsonaro’s inclusion in the investigations is intended to determine whether he would have incited the commission of crimes against the Democratic State of Law by sharing video on social networks. The post reiterated the baseless thesis that there was fraud in last year’s presidential election.

According to the minister, from false statements, repeated through social networks, a narrative is formulated that delegitimizes democratic institutions and encourages groups of supporters to attack people who represent the institutions, intending to remove them and replace them with others aligned with the group. former president’s politician. In addition, supporters are urged to commit “extremely serious crimes against the democratic rule of law, such as those that occurred on 1/8/2023”.

Moraes recalled that Jair Bolsonaro repeatedly engages in the same conduct, which is why he is also the subject of other investigations in the Court.

*With information from Metrópoles

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