Wassef breaks silence on PF investigation and claims to be the target of lies in jewelry scheme – 08/13/2023 – Politics

Lawyer Frederick Wassef said, in a note, this Sunday (13), that he was being “the target of lies” and denied participating in the jewelry sale scheme of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), investigated by the PF (Federal Police).

Wassef defends the former president in some court cases, most notably involving Adélio Bispo, who stabbed Bolsonaro in 2018. The lawyer was the target of a police operation last Friday (11).

“As a lawyer for Jair Messias Bolsonaro, I come to inform you that, once again, I am suffering a campaign of fake news and lies of all kinds, in addition to contradictory and out-of-context information”, he said.

“I have never sold any jewelry, offered or owned it. I have never participated in any dealings, nor have I assisted in any sale, either directly or indirectly. I have never participated in or helped anyone in any way to carry out any negotiation or sale”, he added.

In the note, Wassef also says that he only became aware of the existence of the jewels earlier this year through the press, who called Bolsonaro and was authorized by him to make a press note about the case.

According to the investigation, the former president and his assistants took jewelry and watches received during his tenure on a FAB flight to the United States, last December, and sold the pieces there.

According to the PF, the values ​​obtained from these sales were converted into cash and entered into the personal assets of those investigated, without using the formal banking system, with the aim of hiding the origin, location and ownership of the values.

The records also indicate the involvement of Frederick Wassef. The lawyer, according to the inquiry, ordered to recover a watch that had been sold by the group, when the first set of jewels became public and began to reverberate and be investigated by the PF.

The police inquiry was launched in early March.

“The investigation also brought strong indications that Frederick Wassef was part of the criminal scheme, acting in the recovery of the Rolex Day-Date watch, sold to the Precision Watches store”, says an excerpt from Alexandre de Moraes’ decision.

“Frederick Wassef traveled to the United States, recovering the good on March 14, 2023. Later, in secret, on March 29, 2023, he brought the watch to Brazil, delivering it to Mauro César Cid in the city of São Paulo, for subsequent return to the Brazilian State.”

Bolsonaro’s defense said, on Friday night (11) that the former president makes his bank transactions available to the authorities and that he “never appropriated or embezzled any public property”.

After more than 12 hours of silence about the PF operation, Bolsonaro’s defense also said, in a note, that he “voluntarily” asked the TCU (Tribunal de Contas da União) in March this year to deliver jewelry received “until the end decision about his treatment, which in fact was done”.

This was the only manifestation of the former representative on the case. On Saturday (12), on social networks, he published a video with a child, unrelated to the topic, and wished “a good Saturday to all”.