Bolsonaro, who left Brazil on December 30 to settle in the United States on a tourist visa, finds himself in the middle of a scandal an attempted smuggling of Chopard diamond jewelry valued at $3.5 million sent through its Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque, by the Saudi monarchy in November 2021 that were intercepted at the Guarulhos airport by customs personnel.
In the midst of all the scandal, the former official Albuquerque acknowledged that the jewels were intended for the first lady: “All this (the jewelry) is for the first lady“.
The senator Omar Aziz, member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD, centre-right), assumed the Commission for Transparency, Governance, Supervision and Control and Consumer Defense and announced that it will investigate the privatization process of the Landulpho Alves refinery, located in Bahia, which was acquired by the sovereign wealth fund of the United Arab Emirates, Mubadala Capital.
One of the factors for the investigation focuses on the final number of the purchase: the investment was made in a figure close to US$1,800 million, while the oil market valued it between US$3,000 and US$4,000 million.
Aziz explained that he will do a thorough job to find “interests” that go against Brazil: “I will open an investigation in the Senate as president of the commission on the sale of the Landulpho Alves refinery to the Arab fund Mubadala Capital. Any violation of the interests of the country, related to the case of the jewels or any advantage that may have caused that sale will be sent to justice. to be punished.”
Did Bolsonaro try to illegally enter jewelry?
The former president received a large amount of jewelry from the Saudi authorities in October 2021, including “a necklace, a ring, a watch and a pair of diamond earrings”all gifts for who was at that time the first lady, Michelle Bolsonaro.
Upon returning to Brazil, Customs agents found the jewelry in the backpack of one of the soldiers who traveled with the presidential entourage. and they verified that none of the objects had previously been declared as legal trademark. “They are accusing me of a gift that I did not ask for, nor did I receive. There is no illegality on my part“Brazil Bolsonaro, who is still in the United States, told CNN.
The goods were seized at the Guarulhos international airport, in São Paulo., according to information from the newspaper O Estado de São Paulo that was later confirmed by other media. Former Minister of Mines and Energy Bento Albuquerque tried to recover the jewels without success on numerous occasions.
The Brazilian newspaper affirms that, in the last two months of Bolsonaro’s term, four attempts were made to retrieve the gifts even mobilizing the Foreign and Economy ministries, all without success.
Source: Ambito
