According to investigators, Bolsonaro and a dozen other suspects intended to sell the embezzled jewels abroad “with the intention of illegally enriching the then president.” The proceeds from the sale were paid to Bolsonaro “without using the formal banking system.”
The Supreme Court has now given the Public Prosecutor’s Office 15 days to decide whether to bring formal charges against Bolsonaro, who himself maintains that he is innocent.
The former president is also under investigation for falsifying coronavirus vaccination certificates and for participating in the planning of a coup in January 2023. Thousands of supporters of the former president stormed government buildings in the capital Brasilia in support of his newly appointed successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.