Jewelry: Revenue says government did not follow rite for collection – 03/04/2023 – Power

The Federal Revenue released a note this Saturday (4) detailing the case of jewelry brought from Saudi Arabia in a delegation from the Ministry of Mines and Energy that were detained at Guarulhos International Airport in 2021 and that are valued at R$ 16.5 million.

The agency said that the facts were reported to the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office and that it is available to proceed with the investigations, “without prejudice to the collaboration with the Federal Police, already announced by the Minister of Justice.”

In the statement, the Revenue addressed the procedures for incorporating gifts brought from abroad and stated that the government of Jair Bolsonaro did not follow them in that sense on that occasion.

According to the body, the incorporation of a gift of the type brought from abroad to the Union’s heritage “requires a request from the competent authority, justifying the need and suitability of the measure, such as the allocation of jewelry of relevant cultural and historical value to be destined for a museum”.

“That did not 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 note.

In the case of jewelry brought from Saudi Arabia, he said, the deadline for regularizing the retained objects ended in July 2022.

“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, through proof of public ownership, and regularization of the customs situation. This did not happen in the case under analysis, even after guidance and clarification provided by the Federal Revenue Service to government agencies.”

The case was revealed on Friday (3) by the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo. The report showed that former minister Bento Albuquerque said the shipment was a gift for First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro, but said he was unaware of the contents of the jewelry case.

Later sought by Sheetdenied that his team tried to bring expensive gifts intended for Bolsonaro and Michelle.

In a note this Saturday (4), the former minister’s advisory said that, in view of the “historical, cultural and artistic” values ​​of the items, the folder adopted measures to forward the collection “to its proper legal destination” — which is disputed now by Revenue.

Bolsonaro, also this Saturday, denied that he had asked for or received any gift and said he was being accused of something he was unaware of. He also claims that he was in Brazil at the time of the Ministry of Mines and Energy team’s trip.