Presidential election in Brazil: Flavio Bolsonaro targeted by an investigation for corruption
Less than a month before the presidential election in Brazil, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro’s campaign encountered the announcement on Friday September 11 of an investigation into corruption and money laundering against the conservative candidate.
The eldest son of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022) is neck and neck in the polls with left-wing outgoing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
A Supreme Court judge authorized in July the opening of a federal police investigation targeting this 45-year-old senator for possible offenses linked to the financing of the production of “Dark Horse”, a film dedicated to his father with American actor Jim Caviezel in the role of the ex-president, according to the decision consulted by AFP.
Also readAs the presidential election approaches in Brazil, the Supreme Court is torn apart in an unprecedented crisis
“I have nothing to hide, the film is completely legal,” Flavio Bolsonaro told journalists in the Amazonian city of Manaus, in northern Brazil, after the revelation.
Suspicions of embezzlement of public funds
Flavio Bolsonaro admitted in May to having requested financing for this film from banker Daniel Vorcaro, currently imprisoned for a vast bank fraud scandal.
The police are trying to find out if Daniel Vorcaro’s funds were in fact used to finance another son of Jair Bolsonaro, Eduardo, established in the United States and convicted in Brazil for having exerted pressure on the justice system at the time of his father’s trial, a source from the Supreme Court explained to AFP.
Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced last year to 27 years in prison for an attempted coup against Lula in 2022. He is currently serving his sentence at home for health reasons.
See also“Bolsonaro in prison!”, “injustice”: Brazil’s divisions are spreading
On Thursday, Brazilian police carried out a vast operation on suspicion of embezzlement of public funds aimed at the production of the film.
Agents executed around fifty search warrants, notably targeting Bolsonarista deputy Mario Frias, executive producer of the feature film
Banco Master scandal
Karina Gama, who is the head of the company Go Up Entertainment, producer of the film, was also targeted by the operation.
These new developments come as the Brazilian Supreme Court is going through a deep crisis linked to the scandal of Banco Master, Daniel Vorcaro’s bank, now liquidated.
Also readFinancial scandal in Brazil: a senator close to Lula searched
It briefly led to the suspension of the director of the federal police, who was finally reinstated in his functions.
In an attempt to end the crisis, the President of the Court, Edson Fachin, ordered the lifting of the secrecy of the investigation in the Master case.
This decision made it possible to learn on Friday that the police are investigating Flavio Bolsonaro.
With AFP
