Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro is in hot water over allegations he tried to illegally import millions of dollars’ worth of jewelery given to him and his wife by Saudi Arabia.
The scandal has triggered multiple investigations, potentially complicating life for Bolsonaro — who is expected to return soon to Brazil from the United States, where the far-right ex-army captain has been living since just before his leftist successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, took office on January 1.
Here is a look at what we know about the case.
Where did the jewels come from?
Bolsonaro’s then-mines and energy minister, Bento Albuquerque, says an “envoy” from the Saudi government gave his delegation two packages at the end of an official visit to Saudi Arabia in October 2021.
When the delegation returned to Brazil, customs inspectors found an aide to Albuquerque carrying one of the boxes — undeclared — in his backpack, according to newspaper Estado de Sao Paulo, which broke the story.
Officials found it was full of diamonds, and seized them for failure to pay the required import duty.
The paper reported the Bolsonaro administration tried at least eight times to convince customs inspectors to release the jewels, right up to the third-to-last day of his term, when it dispatched a navy officer to the Sao Paulo airport to pressure officials to hand over the diamonds.
Subsequent reports said the second package escaped detection and was given to Bolsonaro, who kept it for himself.
The ex-president has denied wrongdoing, telling CNN Brasil there was “no illegality” on his part.
What was in the boxes?
Both packages were from Swiss luxury house Chopard.
The first, which Albuquerque was filmed telling customs officials was for former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, held a necklace, ring, watch and pair of earrings, valued at three million euros ($3.2 million).
The second held a men’s watch, ring, pair of cufflinks, pen and prayer-bead set, estimated to be worth at least $75,000.
What’s under investigation?
Under Brazilian law, travelers entering the country with goods worth more than $1,000 are required to declare them.
The owner would then have had to pay import duty of 50 percent on the excess value over $1,000 — plus a heavy fine in this case for failing to declare the jewels.
The jewels could have entered Brazil tax-free as official gifts to the nation. But then they would have belonged to the presidential palace collection, not the first family, according to legal experts.
“Government officials are absolutely forbidden to accept high-value gifts for themselves — even the president,” said Isac Falcao, head of Sindifisco, the union representing tax authority employees.
“Every public servant knows that,” he told AFP.
The federal police and tax authority have both opened investigations.
The head of the Senate transparency committee has also announced an investigation into whether the jewels were linked to the…
