SAO PAULO — Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been the target of investigations since his first days in office, and the swarm of cases has multiplied since his failed re-election campaign in 2022.
Authorities have been investigating everything from allegations that he plotted to incite an uprising aimed at overthrowing his successor, to questions about whether the far-right leader, sitting astride a jet ski, harassed a humpback whale.
Police have dismissed the marine mammal investigation, but an electoral court has already declared Bolsonaro ineligible for years. Other investigations are still pending; there are dozens of them that could lead to criminal charges in lower-level courts, giving him the right to appeal any eventual conviction. And the country’s Supreme Court will have the final say on more than five sweeping probes that could land the former president behind bars, under house arrest or isolated from all political activity.
Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing in all cases and his allies have alleged political persecution, although they have acknowledged the seriousness of the legal risks on multiple fronts.
Here’s a look at the biggest threats and where they are.
Vaccination fraud
Bolsonaro has been accused of ordering an official to manipulate a public health database to make it appear that he and his 12-year-old daughter had received the COVID-19 vaccine to circumvent entry requirements to the United States. During the pandemic, opposed the vaccineHe called the choice to get a shot a matter of personal freedom and has repeatedly said he never did it.
He Federal Police accused Bolsonaro was charged with criminal association and inserting false data into public records, crimes that carry maximum sentences of four and 12 years in prison, respectively. This is his first charge since leaving office.
STATUS: Brazil’s Supreme Court sent the indictment to the attorney general, who is weighing whether to use it to press charges. Local media reported that the prosecutor was seeking to consult U.S. authorities on whether Bolsonaro used the falsified document to enter the country, and that if he did, it could result in legal action in the United States.
Saudi Jewels
The Federal Police have investigated whether Bolsonaro ordered officials to Luxury jewelry worth millions smuggled into Brazil from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and then moved to prevent them from entering the presidential collection and instead retain ownership for himself.
Investigators have summoned Bolsonaro for questioning in April and August 2023. The former president has since returned the jewelry in question.
STATUS: Federal police have charged Bolsonaro with money laundering and criminal association, according to a source familiar with the allegations. A second source confirmed the charge, though he did not specify what crimes. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Capital raising
Federal police are investigating Bolsonaro’s role in a conspiracy to stay in office after losing his re-election bid to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, including if he incited the riots of January 8, 2022 On March 18, the Supreme Court made public testimonies from army and air force commanders who served under Bolsonaro, both of whom said the group’s leader had actively participated in the plot.
STATUS: The investigation is ongoing, with several Bolsonaro supporters and allies already convicted and jailed.
Electoral misdeeds
from Brazil The highest electoral court ruled in June Bolsonaro used government communication channels in a meeting with diplomats to promote his re-election bid and sow distrust about the results of the vote. The case centered on a meeting the previous year, during which Bolsonaro used government officials, the state television channel and the presidential palace in Brasilia to tell foreign ambassadors that the country’s electronic voting system was rigged. The ruling left him ineligible for office until 2030.
The court also found that Bolsonaro abused his power during Brazil’s Independence Day festivities, a month before the election. The ruling did not add years to Bolsonaro’s ineligibility, but it did reduce the chances of success of any appeal. A third case is also pending in court.
STATUS: Bolsonaro’s appeal against the initial decision was denied.
Pandemic sabotage
Brazil’s Federal Police are investigating Bolsonaro for inciting crimes against public health during the COVID-19 pandemic, including encouraging people not to wear masks and causing alarm about a non-existent danger of Vaccines accelerate the development of AIDSA Senate investigative committee also spent months investigating his actions and decisions during the pandemic era and recommended nine criminal charges.
Former Brazilian Attorney General Augusto Aras, widely seen as a Bolsonaro ally, decided not to press charges based on the findings of lawmakers, who have urged Aras’ successor to reopen the case.
STATUS: The investigation is ongoing.
Fake news, digital militia
The Brazilian Supreme Court ordered an investigation into a network in 2020 He allegedly spread defamatory fake news and threats against Supreme Court judgesThe investigation has resulted in the imprisonment of lawmakers close to the former president and raids on the homes of his supporters. In 2021, Bolsonaro was included as a target.
As a result of that investigation, the Federal Police are also looking into whether a group operating within Bolsonaro’s presidential palace produced social media content aimed at undermining the rule of law. The group, allegedly comprising advisers and Bolsonaro’s son-in-law, has been widely described as a digital militia and “the cabinet of hate.”
STATUS: Both investigations are ongoing.
