Haddad will return an ounce of gold he won from Saudi Arabia

The Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, was instructed by the Internal Revenue Service to return the gift he received from the Saudi government this Monday (31st), in São Paulo. According to a note released to the press, the minister won an ounce of gold from the Saudi Arabian government, but is going to return it to the country’s embassy in Brasília.

As reported in the text, the offering of gifts to public authorities must follow a protocol and can only be done with “prior notice to the ceremonial of the awarded public body”, which did not happen.

For this reason, Haddad was guided by Robinson Barreirinhas, secretary of the Federal Revenue Service, to return the statue. It was not disclosed, however, what would be the value of the piece made of gold.

The gift delivered to Haddad would have been given by Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Investments of Saudi Arabia. He is in Brazil and met the Brazilian in São Paulo.

Another gift from Saudi Arabia

The decision to return the gift came after the case involving a set of jewelry given during the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL). The jewelry was initially valued at R$16.5 million. Subsequently, the value of the pieces was estimated at between R$ 4 and 5 million.

The imbroglio began on October 26, 2021, when a direct assistant of the then Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque, was approached by Federal Revenue inspectors upon landing at Guarulhos Airport. He arrived from Riyadh, where he accompanied the minister to an event on clean energy promoted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He was carrying a necklace, a pair of earrings, a ring and a diamond watch by the famous Swiss brand Chopard in his luggage.

The items had not been declared and the auditors informed the advisor and the minister that they would only be released if they paid tax of 50% of the value plus a fine of 25%, which would amount to R$ 12.3 million, or if they tried to incorporate the assets to the acquis of the Presidency.

When questioned about the fact, Bolsonaro said that the jewels would go to the Presidency’s collection, and not for himself.

In April 2023, former president Jair Bolsonaro testified for about three hours at the headquarters of the Federal Police (PF), in Brasília, about the jewelry case.

According to his defense, Bolsonaro told the PF that he only found out about the jewelry seized by the Federal Revenue more than a year after the incident. As early as December 2022, he would have sent his former aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, to check what could be done with the jewels to avoid an alleged diplomatic embarrassment if the gifts from Saudi Arabia were to be auctioned. The information was published by the newspapers The globe It is Folha de S. Paulo.