Former Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, was interrogated by the police for several hours on Tuesday regarding the alleged forgery of Covid-19 vaccination certificates for himself and his inner circle. Bolsonaro, who is known for his far-right and vaccine-sceptical beliefs, denied involvement in the alleged plot during his three hours of testimony to the police.
The investigation into the alleged plot began earlier this month when Bolsonaro’s residence was raided as part of the same investigation. On Tuesday, Bolsonaro arrived at the federal police headquarters in Brasilia in a tinted car and left four hours later without speaking to the press.
According to the federal police, a top Bolsonaro aide, army colonel Mauro Cid, tapped a network of contacts in the health system and government to obtain fraudulent vaccination certificates for Bolsonaro, the president’s daughter, himself, his wife and daughters, and two other presidential aides. Police have said that there is evidence that Bolsonaro was “fully aware” of the fraudulent entries in the health ministry’s electronic vaccination records system, which aimed to enable his anti-vaccine inner circle to dodge international travel requirements and other pandemic restrictions.
Bolsonaro reiterated during his testimony that he had never been vaccinated and was unaware of any initiatives for the eventual forgery, insertion, or adulteration in his vaccination card as well as that of his daughter. The investigation is ongoing.
In conclusion, the scandal has once again put the spotlight on Brazil’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the government’s handling of the vaccination programme. With Brazil being one of the world’s worst-hit countries, the vaccination programme is crucial to controlling the spread of the virus, and such allegations, if true, could have serious implications.
