Brasilia, February 18 (RHC)-- In a week full of surprises, Brazil has been shocked by the revelation that former president Jair Bolsonaro transferred a staggering $160,000 ahead of his trip to the United States in 2022, as he awaited the coup attempt.
The Federal Police (PF) has conducted an exhaustive investigation that sheds light on this murky episode. According to the evidence gathered, those involved in this scandal "had the expectation that there was still a possibility of consummation of the coup d'état" and were fully aware of the illegal acts they were committing.
On February 8th, during the so-called Operation Tempus Veritatis (Latin for "Hour of Truth"), the passport of the former president, known for his ultra-right-wing leanings, was confiscated. This further corroborated the authorities' suspicions.
The police investigation reveals that "some of those investigated chose to flee the country, withdrawing practically all of their resources invested in national financial institutions and transferring them to the United States, with the aim of protecting themselves from possible criminal prosecution related to the crimes under investigation."
In addition, the report submitted by the law enforcement agency to the Supreme Federal Court highlights that the $160,000 transferred by the ex-governor could include funds from the embezzlement of assets of high patrimonial value given by foreign authorities, such as the case of the jewellery gifted by Saudi Arabia to the Brazilian government.
The FP emphasises that "it is clear that the then president Jair Bolsonaro, at the end of his mandate, transferred all his assets and financial resources, both licit and illicit, to the United States in order to ensure his permanence abroad, possibly in anticipation of the outcome of the coup attempt that was underway."
After the financial transfer, as revealed by the PF's breach of bank secrecy, Bolsonaro was left with a negative balance in his Brazilian savings account. However, he subsequently managed to cover this deficit using resources withdrawn from an investment fund. The police report does not provide details on the exact amount that the ex-military officer kept in that reserve.
On 8 January 2023, radical Bolsonaro supporters, under shouts of military intervention and in rejection of the inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, carried out an invasion and looting at the headquarters of the National Congress, the Supreme Court and the Planalto Palace, the official residence of the executive branch in the capital.
