Two people with knowledge of the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the targets of the raids include José Isaac Peres, CEO of shopping mall operator Multiplan Empreendimentos Imobiliarios, and Meyer Joseph Nigri, president of homebuilder Tecnisa.
The raids also targeted billionaire Luciano Hang, founder of the Havan department store chain and one of Bolsonaro’s most prominent supporters, the sources said.
Billionaire Luciano Hang, founder of the Havan department store chain and one of Bolsonaro’s most prominent supporters, said he had been the target of the operation, which he blamed on media coverage that distorted his comments in a group chat.
“An irresponsible article without context put me in this situation,” Hang wrote on Twitter. “I never spoke of a coup. I have always defended democracy and freedom of expression.”
The Brazilian news website Metropoles reported last week that the businessmen were part of a WhatsApp group discussing the merits of a coup if the far-right leader loses the October election.
Reaction
Bolsonaro trails leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in polls and has questioned the integrity of Brazil’s electronic voting system, fueling concerns that he could challenge election results.
Two of Bolsonaro’s sons, both federal lawmakers, denounced the police investigation as an abuse of power that threatens freedom of expression.
“It is crazy to order a search and arrest warrant against honest businessmen for saying in a private WhatsApp conversation that they would prefer anything to an ex-convict,” Senator Flavio Bolsonaro tweeted, referring to the time Lula spent in jail for convictions that later they were cancelled. “This is an attack against democracy in the middle of the electoral campaign. Censorship. There is no other word,” tweeted Eduardo Bolsonaro, who is a deputy.
The sources said that businessmen Afranio Barreira Filho, Ivan Wrobel, José Koury, Marco Aurelio Raymundo and Luiz Andre Tissot were also targeted in the police raids.
Source: Ambito
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