A committee of the Brazilian Senate has voted in favor of bringing charges against President Jair Bolsonaro over his corona policy. Seven of the eleven committee members formally approved an investigation report in Brasilia on Tuesday calling for the right-wing leader to be charged with crimes against humanity, among other things. The prosecution also called for charges against 77 other suspects, including several ministers and three sons of Bolsonaro.
The report of the Senate Committee, compiled as a result of six months of investigation, accuses the Bolsonaro government of “acting slowly and deliberately exposing the population to a real risk of mass infection” in the fight against the pandemic, the 1200-page report reads.
The report is to be passed on to the public prosecutor’s office. Bolsonaro hardly has to fear legal consequences, however, as he has the backing of Attorney General Augusto Aras. The ally should protect him from any charge. The initiation of parliamentary impeachment proceedings against the head of state is also not in sight, as he has sufficient support in Congress to avert such a process.
However, the approach of the senators could politically damage the president, who wants to run for re-election in 2022. According to surveys, he is threatened with a clear defeat against the left ex-head of state Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
