Persecution of political enemies doesn’t happen just in America!
On Wednesday, Brazilian federal police searched former President Jair Bolsonaro’s residence and seized his phone in an investigation into whether Bolsonaro used a fake COVID vaccine card to travel.
The police suspect the former president’s vaccination record was falsified so that he could enter the United States.
Recall, Bolsonaro traveled to Florida at the end of December, days before his opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was sworn into office.
During the operation, police took the former president’s phone, as well as his wife’s, and arrested many of the president’s closest aides.
According to reports, two of Bolsonaro’s closest aides, Mauro Cid and Max Guilherme, have been arrested in the same operation.
“For my part, there was nothing falsified. I didn’t take the vaccine. Period,” Bolsonaro told the reporters.
WATCH:
Brazilian police have raided the residence of Jair Bolsonaro.
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) May 3, 2023
Police are investigating whether Bolsonaro used a fake COVID vaccine card to travel.
Bolsonaro maintains that he is not vaccinated against Covid.pic.twitter.com/YaRBJTo9OD
NPR reported:
The raid took place early Wednesday morning at the former president’s home in Brazil’s capital, Brasilia. The Federal Police say they served 16 search and seizure warrants, as well as six preventive arrest warrants in the capital and in Rio de Janeiro. The names of the targeted individuals were not disclosed.
Investigators say officials in Bolsonaro’s inner circle created false vaccination certificates so that unvaccinated travelers, including the former president, his family members and assistants’ relatives, could enter the U.S. and circumvent mandatory immunization requirements.
Bolsonaro, a vehement skeptic of COVID vaccines, confirmed to reporters that his home had been raided and said that he was not vaccinated against COVID-19. He denied any role in allegedly forging documents.
Local media report that some of Bolsonaro’s closest aides, including his personal security guard and secretary, were arrested. The Federal Police said they were investigating a number of potential public health offenses.
