Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro charged with falsifying COVID-19 vaccination data

CNN
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Brazil's former leader Jair Bolsonaro has been indicted by the country's federal police on fraud charges for allegedly falsifying coronavirus vaccination data while he was president, affiliate CNN Brazil reported on Tuesday.

Police say the far-right leader is suspected of ordering one of his aides to enter false vaccination data for himself and his daughter into the Health Ministry's system, CNN Brazil reported.

According to CNN Brazil, “evidence” collected for the investigation shows Bolsonaro was willing to act when he allegedly directed the addition of false data to the country's health system. announced.

Fifteen people, including Bolsonaro's closest aide, Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, were also indicted on suspicion of participating in the same plot.

Bolsonaro's lawyer, Fabio Weingarten, called the charges “ridiculous.”

“The whole world knows (Bolsonaro's) personal opinions on the subject of vaccination,” he wrote to X. “During his presidency, he was completely exempt from presenting any type of identification when traveling.”

Last May, Brazilian police conducted a search and seizure at Bolsonaro's home in Brasilia in connection with allegations of falsifying vaccination data.

Bolsonaro told reporters at the time that he had not been vaccinated against COVID-19 and that his vaccination card had not been tampered with.

The Brazilian public prosecutor's office will now have to decide whether to proceed with prosecution.

Bolsonaro was widely criticized at home and abroad for downplaying the seriousness of the virus during the pandemic, including discouraging people from getting vaccinated even as Brazil battles a severe coronavirus outbreak.

In 2021, it publicly ignored a United Nations requirement to require foreign delegations to be vaccinated before entering its New York headquarters. Multiple members of his delegation have since tested positive for the virus.

The indictment comes as Bolsonaro faces growing legal challenges, including an investigation into an attempted coup attempt to stay in power after his defeat in the 2022 presidential election. Several former ministers who worked in Bolsonaro's government are also being investigated, and some of his inner circle have also been arrested.

After Bolsonaro narrowly lost the election to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, his supporters rioted and broke into government buildings in Brasilia on January 8, 2023. Bolsonaro denies inciting the violent attack in the capital.

Bolsonaro was last year banned from running for political office until 2030 by the country's Supreme Electoral Court for abuse of power and misusing public media during his 2022 election campaign.