Wassef says he bought Rolex with his own money and did a favor to the Union

millionaire gifts

“It was my decision, I didn’t make it at Bolsonaro’s request”, claims

Brasilia DF) – Former President Jair Bolsonaro’s lawyer, Frederick Wassef, admitted that he used his own resources to buy a Rolex luxury watch in the US, on March 14th. At a press conference this Tuesday (15), Wassef said he was on American soil and learned that the watch was there, so he decided to buy it to return it as a gift to the federal government. He also denied that he was assigned to retrieve the watch that had previously been sold in the country.

The watch was a gift from Saudi authorities to Jair Bolsonaro during an official trip by the then President of the Republic in 2019 to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The item was taken to the United States, where Bolsonaro traveled on the eve of leaving the Presidency, and was sold illegally, according to the Federal Police (PF), by Bolsonaro’s assistant at the time, Mauro Cid. The piece is part of a set of high-value objects seized in an operation in August by the PF.

It turns out that any object of high value presented to a government authority is considered Union property and cannot be sold. As a result, upon learning of the existence of the gift, on March 15, the Federal Court of Auditors (TCU) gave Bolsonaro five working days for the watch to be delivered along with the other items that belonged to the same kit. .

During the interview, Wassef raised doubts about the watch being the same one that was given to Bolsonaro by the Saudis and said that the purchase was not illegal, because it was made with money from his bank, legal and during a trip to the US to solve personal problems. .

“I bought the watch. The decision was mine, I didn’t make it at the request of Bolsonaro or Mauro Cid and it wasn’t a buyback, because I’ve never seen this watch before. I did a favor for the Brazilian government, which owes me R$300,000. And I made the clock reach the government”.

Wassef also said that he paid in cash because, according to American law, it is easier to register the buyer’s name that way, in addition to obtaining a discount. He also showed a purchase receipt, in his name, with the value of US$ 49,000 and emphasized that he had “saved” money for the government, since, according to him, the piece would be worth much more.

When asked how the watch returned to the country, Wassef said he could not give more details and that this point would be reported during his spontaneous testimony to the Federal Police.

However, before Wassef said that he bought the watch in cash to return it to the Union, he denied being aware of the jewelry presented to the Bolsonaro government. In a previous note, he reported that he would be suffering a Fake News campaign and lies of all kinds, in addition to contradictory information and out of context.

“I was falsely accused of playing a central role in an alleged jewelry sales scheme. This is slander that I have been suffering and a pure lie. Full frame. The first time I became aware of the existence of the jewels was at the beginning of this year, 2023, through the press, when I called Jair Bolsonaro and he authorized me as his lawyer to give interviews and make a press release”,

says the lawyer’s note.

Also in the note, he said he never knew of the existence of jewelry or any other gifts received. “I never sold any jewelry, offered it or owned it. I never participated in any dealings, nor did I help any sale, either directly or indirectly. I never participated in or helped anyone in any way to carry out any negotiation or sale”.

The lawyer also said he was offended by having been visited by the PF at his residence in Morumbi, in the capital of São Paulo. “The PF did not find anything irregular or illegal, having not seized any object, jewelry or money. I was exposed all over television with serious lies and slander.”

*With information from Agência Brasil

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