Defense asserts Bolsonaro had no oversight of received jewelry
Jair Bolsonaro's defense stated on Monday (Jul. 8) that the former president had "no oversight" over the gifts he received during his presidential trips.
After Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes lifted the confidentiality of the report, lawyers Paulo Bueno and Daniel Tesser released a statement regarding Bolsonaro and 11 others accused of misappropriating Saudi jewelry received during his administration. According to the Federal Police, the alleged embezzlement could total BRL 6.8 million.
Gifts are received by the Deputy Office of Historical Documentation, a sector of the federal government, and undergo rigorous cataloging procedures without any presidential interference, the lawyers noted.
"All former presidents had their gifts analyzed, cataloged, and their destinations determined by the Deputy Office, which has always used consistent criteria. This unusual investigation, however, focuses solely on the Bolsonaro government, ignoring identical situations in previous administrations," the defense stated.
The defense lawyers also mentioned that the jewelry was returned following an order from Brazil’s Federal Audit Court (TCU) in March of last year.
According to police reports, some of the Saudi jewels received during the former president's administration were transported out of the country in a suitcase aboard the presidential plane on December 30, 2022, when Bolsonaro departed for an extended stay in the United States at the end of his term.
During that period, there were no financial transactions in the former president's accounts. This led the police to conclude that Bolsonaro used proceeds from the jewelry sale to fund his stay in the United States, investigators noted.
