Former Brazilian president Bolsonaro questioned

Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro was questioned on Wednesday over diamond jewelry gifts he accepted while in power.

Authorities are seeking to determine if any irregularities were carried out when bringing the jewelry into Brazil.

It is not clear whether Bolsonaro answered the investigator’s questions or exercised his right to remain silent in what was reportedly an hours-long probe. The former president has denied any wrongdoing related to the gifts.

He is also under investigation for involvement in the attack on state institutions in the capital, Brasilia, in January, which was carried out by his supporters in protest against the election results.

Brazil’s Lula vows justice for capital attack

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

What do we know about the gifts?

The diamonds in question were gifts from Saudi Arabia that Bolsonaro kept. Federal police are trying to determine whether they were public gifts or gifted privately to the former president.

Had they been public gifts, they would not be Bolsonaro’s to keep after he is no longer president. And if the gifts were private, the former president was supposed to pay a tax of 50% of their value, as per Brazilian taxation laws.

The former president returned to Brazil last week, for the first time since his election loss. He had fled to self-exile in Florida shortly before the inauguration of his successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

rmt/rc (AP, Reuters)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/former-brazilian-president-bolsonaro-questioned/a-65242650?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf