The Federal Police investigation shows that the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) mobilized at least 15 civil servants in the last days of his term to try to release the jewels gifted by Saudi Arabia and held at customs at Guarulhos airport.
The report of the inquiry into the jewels indicates that, in two weeks, seven senior officials of the Federal Revenue Service, four aides-de-camp of the Presidency, three members of the Deputy Office of Historical Documentation of the Presidency and an employee of the General Secretariat of the Presidency were activated.
At the time, the head of the Revenue gave the following order to a subordinate: “Put everyone to work for us”.
According to investigators, there was “an operation, to a certain extent desperate, to try to subtract the women’s jewelry retained by the Federal Revenue Service, in time to dispatch them on the presidential plane, which would take off on December 30, 2022, bound for the United States”. The information is from Folha de São Paulo.
The president’s attempts
Jair Bolsonaro’s government mobilized a coordinated effort to release jewelry held at Guarulhos airport. The operation began on December 14, 2022, after the former president was informed of the case by the then head of the Federal Revenue Service, Julio Cesar Vieira Gomes.
Vieira Gomes reported to the Federal Police that it was the first time he had knowledge of the matter. He immediately discussed the issue with his chief of staff, who forwarded an email to the Undersecretary of Customs for details about the jewelry.
The demand was passed on to the Regional Superintendence of the Federal Revenue of the 8th Fiscal Region in São Paulo, where it was informed that the jewels had been lost due to irregular importation and non-compliance with defense deadlines.
After Bolsonaro’s phone call on December 27, Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid of the Presidential Orders Aid called to discuss the necessary measures to incorporate the jewels into the Presidency’s collection. Cid then contacted the Deputy Office of Historical Documentation of the Presidency, seeking to formalize the incorporation of the jewels into the presidential collection.
Despite efforts, the application for incorporation was denied by the head of the Deputy Office of Historical Documentation, who had no authority to make such a request. Cid asked that this information be passed on directly to Bolsonaro.
The operation continued the next day, when Vieira Gomes instructed the preparation of an official letter to formalize the request for the release of the jewels. He requested urgency in the execution, indicating that the document should be finalized by the end of the next day.
During this process, the Undersecretary-General of Revenue and the Deputy Superintendent of the 8th Fiscal Region were involved. However, there were reservations regarding the urgency of the operation, considering possible negative repercussions for the institution’s image.
“Put everyone to work for us so that we can fulfill this and make it available tomorrow at five in the afternoon,” said Vieira Gomes in an audio to the superintendent of the 8th Region
The Federal Police described the action as an attempt to “legalize” the jewels even before their release. There was even a request for information about the registration of the jewels by a secretary of the Presidential Orders Aid to the Deputy Office of Historical Documentation.
The final attempt included the participation of two of Bolsonaro’s aides-de-camp, one of whom traveled by plane from the Brazilian Air Force to Guarulhos to deliver the jewels. However, the Revenue officials refused to release the jewels.
Remember the case
During a trip in October 2021 by the then Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque, to Saudi Arabia, the Bolsonaro government received a set of luxury items from the Swiss brand Chopard, containing a pen, a ring, a pair of cufflinks, an Islamic rosary known as “masbaha” and a watch.
According to the Federal Police, These high-value objects were deliberately omitted from public records and later sold, aiming to benefit the former president. Justice Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), granted authorization for the breach of fiscal and banking secrecy of the president and his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro.
During the investigations into these jewels, the PF requested the breach of confidentiality of the couple. Moraes declared that there are “strong indications of embezzlement of assets of high patrimonial value” related to the jewels traded by the former president’s close circle. For the Federal Police, Bolsonaro took advantage of the structure of the federal government to divert high-value gifts given to him by foreign authorities.
Indictments
On July 4, Bolsonaro was indicted, in the investigation into the illegal sale of jewelry abroad, for criminal association, money laundering and appropriation of public assets. The former head of the Executive denies having committed all the irregularities. Vieira Gomes, Marcelo Vieira and Mauro Cid were also indicted.
Vieira Gomes’ defense said he had not had access to the PF report.
“It was with great surprise and perplexity that we learned, through the press, of the indictment. We are convinced that his innocence will be recognized by the competent bodies,” said Vieira’s lawyer.
Marcelo Vieira’s lawyer said that the indictment is the result of “an excessive attempt to persecute other people” and that his client’s activities in the Deputy Office of Historical Documentation “were carried out in order to maintain total zeal and care” with public assets.
Bolsonaro’s defense claims that the investigation is “unusual” and that the former president “at no time intended to enrich himself or have for himself assets that could, in any way, be considered public”.
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