The Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, said on Friday night (3) that he will call the Federal Police, early next week, to investigate the government of former president Jair Bolsonaro in the case involving the attempt to illegally bring appraised jewelry. in another R$ 16 million, which would have been a president given by Saudi Arabia to former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro. Dino pointed out the suspicion of committing at least three crimes in the case, which are yet to be investigated. 
“Facts relating to jewelry, which may constitute crimes of embezzlement, embezzlement and money laundering, among other possible crimes, will be brought to the Federal Police’s official knowledge for legal action. social.
Senator Humberto Costa (PT-PE) also stated that he will call on the PF and the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) to join the case. “This smacks of money laundering at the very least,” he wrote on social media.
Understand
The information was revealed in a report by the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, also published this Friday. According to the publication, a necklace, a ring, a watch and a pair of diamond earrings were barred by the Federal Revenue in October 2021. The items, valued at 3 million euros (about R$ 16.3 million ) were found in the backpack of the military Marcos André dos Santos Soeiro, who advised the then Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque. Both were returning from an official trip to the Middle East. Also according to the article, the retention took place at the International Airport of Guarulhos, in São Paulo, after inspection by X-ray.
At the time, the former minister would have used his position to ask for the jewels to be released, claiming they were gifts from the Saudi government to the then first lady, Michelle Bolsonaro. The Federal Revenue officials, however, claimed that the procedure for entering these items as official gifts from a foreign government to the Brazilian government would have to comply with another legal procedure and, therefore, withheld the jewelry for non-payment of taxes. All these moments would have been recorded on video. By law, items worth more than US$ 1,000 are subject to taxation when entering national territory. In this case, in addition to paying 50% in taxes for the value of the goods, a 25% fine would apply for attempting to enter the country illegally, that is, without declaration to the customs authorities. The items have been in the possession of the Revenue ever since. There is still no confirmation on who actually gave the alleged gifts.
In a note sent this Saturday (4), the advisory of former Minister Bento Albuquerque claimed that the jewels were “institutional gifts intended for the Brazilian Representation made up of a delegation from the Ministry of Mines and Energy – therefore, from the Brazilian State; and that, as a result , the Ministry of Mines and Energy would adopt the appropriate measures for the correct and legal forwarding of the collection received”. The statement is different from what he would have informed the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, in which he would have confirmed that it was a gift for Michelle Bolsonaro. In another statement, this time to the newspaper O Globo, Albuquerque maintained that the items would be “duly incorporated into the official Brazilian collection”.
In addition to journalistic articles, the chief minister of the Social Communication Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, Paulo Pimenta, reported on social networks that the [governo] Bolsonaro tried to illegally bring diamond necklace and earrings to the former first lady, and that presidents would have been given in Saudi Arabia at the end of 2021. He even posted a photo of these jewels, “Petrobras had just sold a refinery for 1.8 billion dollars to a group from Saudi Arabia”, commented the minister.
The newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo also informs that, in the last months of his government, Jair Bolsonaro would have tried, at least four times, through letters, to recover the seized jewels, without success. One of these letters was sent on December 28, 2022, on the eve of the end of his government, but again there was a refusal from the Federal Revenue.
Other side
After the disclosure of the allegations, and former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro made a post on her Instagram account to comment on the matter. She even made fun of the case. “I have all this and I didn’t know? My God!” she wrote. Former president Jair Bolsonaro, in a statement to CNN, said that jewelry was going to the Presidency’s collection and denied illegality. “I am being accused of a gift I neither asked for nor received. You’re going too far, huh?! I’m laughing at the inappropriateness of this vexatious press.”
In an interview with CNN Brasil, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is in the United States, also denied involvement in the case. “I am being accused of a gift that I neither asked for nor received. There is no illegality on my part. I never practiced illegality. See my personal corporate card. I never cashed or paid a penny on that card,” he said.
The report by Agência Brasil seeks contact with the advisors of the former president, former first lady and former minister Bento Albuquerque to obtain further clarification on the case.
