Federal police| Photo: Aniele Nascimento / Gazeta do Povo / Archive /

On the morning of this Friday (5/12), in Rio de Janeiro, the Federal Police carried out a search and seizure operation at the home of the military officer Marcelo da Silva Vieira, former head of the Office of Historical Documentation of the Presidency of the Republic during the Jair Bolsonaro government. The action refers to the case of jewelry received by the former president of the government of Saudi Arabia on an official visit to the country during his mandate.

The PF searches were authorized by the Federal Regional Court of the 3rd Region (TRF-3), after the Guarulhos court denied the request. The intention is to seize Vieira’s cell phone, which should have been handed over to the corporation last month, after he gave his statement.

According to Portal metropolises, the military’s defense lawyer did not understand the PF operation, considering that the investigated person gave a statement for more than six hours, where he answered all the questions and provided all the requested data from his cell phone. The Federal Police has not yet given details about the operation.

The case of the jewels began, after a report by “Estado de S. Paulo” on March 4th. According to the newspaper, the Bolsonaro government tried to bring to Brazil, without paying taxes, a set consisting of a necklace, a ring, a watch, a pair of earrings and a diamond watch by the Swiss brand Chopard. This first jewelry case would be worth around R$16.5 million. However, the items were seized by federal revenue auditors when the presidential motorcade disembarked.

Former president Jair Bolsonaro testified to the PF about the jewelry case, and the defense assured that all cases have already been returned.