Brazil: Bolsonaro Home Raided in Vaccine Records Probe

Facts

• Brazilian Federal Police on Wednesday raided the home of former Pres. Jair Bolsonaro as part of a probe into the suspected criminal efforts to forge his family's COVID vaccination records to travel to the US. Police seized his phone and the phone's password.¹
• This comes as police served multiple search and arrest warrants in Brasília and Rio de Janeiro, reportedly detaining Bolsonaro's close aide Mauro Cid and personal security officers Max Guilherme and Sérgio Cordeiro, as part of a larger investigation into "false data" allegedly added to a national COVID database from Nov. 2021 to Dec. 2022 to circumvent vaccination rules in Brazil and the US.²
• Local media outlet Globo reported that it was able to confirm that the suspects allegedly entered vaccine information into the Ministry of Health system falsely claiming that Bolsonaro and his daughter were vaccinated, as well as Cid, Cid's wife, and Cid's daughter.³
• Bolsonaro, who spent three months in the US after losing re-election before returning to Brazil in March, reiterated he has never taken the vaccine, denying any forgery on his part. He was registered as vaccinated in health records made public in February.⁴
• The former president was subpoenaed to testify at the Federal Police's headquarters but reportedly refused to appear, exercising his right to remain silent. This investigation could lead to charges of conspiracy, violation of public health laws, the introduction of false information into government systems, and corruption of minors.⁵
• Bolsonaro is now facing multiple criminal investigations, including for allegedly inciting mob riots at federal buildings after the inauguration of his successor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and for casting doubt over the election fairness without evidence.⁶

Sources: ¹Guardian, ²Reuters, ³Daily Mail, ⁴Al Jazeera, ⁵Breitbart, and ⁶Washington Post.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Guardian. Bolsonaro presided over one of the worst COVID responses in the world as he claimed vaccines were ineffective. It appears his corrupt ways and spreading of misinformation have finally caught up to him. On top of that, he instigated a January 6-style attack against Brazil's federal government after he lost in a free and fair election. This forgery scandal is one of many that show his character as an amoral demagogue. Hopefully, justice will be served in this and the many other cases he is faced with.
• Right narrative, as provided by Wall Street Journal. You do not have to be a Bolsonaro supporter to see that Lula is using the judicial system as a means to punish his predecessor. Lula is a leftist career politician who was convicted on corruption charges before it was stunningly reversed by activist judges. Right-leaning figures across the nation are being censored and checks-and-balances are being curtailed as the legal system is increasingly used as a weapon against opponents. We ought to be skeptical about charges against Bolsonaro in this environment.