Federal Revenue says Bolsonaro government did not ask for regularization of jewelry

jewelry without regularization

Body guided Bolsonaro government, but nothing was done

In a note released this Saturday (4), the Federal Revenue said that there was no attempt to regularize jewelry valued at more than R$ 16 million by the Bolsonaro government. The luxury item would have been a gift from Saudi Arabia to former first lady Michele Bolsonaro.

According to the Revenue, in addition to not asking for regularization, the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro also did not present a substantiated request to incorporate the jewels into public property, even after guidance from the body.

The information was revealed in a report by the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo published on Friday (3). According to the publication, a necklace, a ring, a watch and a pair of diamond earrings were barred by the Federal Revenue in October 2021. The items, valued at 3 million euros (about R$ 16.5 million) were found in the backpack of the military Marcos André dos Santos Soeiro, who advised the then Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque. Both were returning from an official trip to the Middle East. Also according to the article, the retention took place at the International Airport of Guarulhos, in São Paulo, after inspection by X-ray.

At the time, the former minister would have used his position to ask for the jewels to be released, claiming they were gifts from the Saudi government to the then first lady. The Federal Revenue officials, however, claimed that the procedure for entering these items as official gifts from a foreign government to the Brazilian government would have to comply with another legal procedure and, therefore, withheld the jewelry for non-payment of taxes.

By law, every traveler bringing goods belonging to third parties into the country must declare them upon arrival, regardless of value. In the case of goods belonging to the bearer, those worth more than US$ 1,000, the current limit, must be declared. If there is no declaration of the asset, 50% of the amount is required as a tax, plus a fine of 50%, reduced by half in the case of payment within 30 days.

“In the event of a public agent failing to declare the asset as belonging to the Brazilian State, it is possible to regularize the situation, upon proof of public ownership, and regularization of the customs situation. This did not happen in the case under analysis, even after guidance and clarifications provided by the Federal Revenue to government agencies”, says the note.

As there was no regularization, the Revenue said that the good is now treated as belonging to the bearer and, if there is no payment of the tribute and fine, the penalty of forfeiture is applied, with appeals whose deadline, in the case of jewelry, ended in July from 2022.

The Revenue also said that after forfeiture, it is possible, in theory, for the good to be taken to auction. Of the total collected, 40% is allocated to social security and the rest to the treasury. In addition to the auction, donation, incorporation into public property or destruction is also possible. According to the note, there was no request for the jewels to be incorporated into the Union’s assets.

“Incorporation into the Union’s heritage requires a request from the competent authority, justifying the need and appropriateness of the measure, such as, for example, the allocation of jewels of relevant cultural and historical value to be destined for a museum. That didn’t happen in this case. It is not possible to incorporate a good for the personal interest of anyone, only in case of effective public interest”, said the Revenue.

The note salutes the customs agents who held the goods and also says that the facts were reported to the Federal Public Ministry and that the body is available to continue the investigations, “without prejudice to the collaboration with the Federal Police, already announced by the Minister of Justice”.

*With information from Agência Brasil

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