Brasilia: Brazil’s federal police raided the private residence of former President Jair Bolsonaro in the capital Brasilia and seized his cell phone as part of an investigation into alleged falsification of Covid-19 vaccination records. During the search operation on Wednesday, authorities arrested Bolsonaro’s assistant, Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, as well as two of his bodyguards, a news agency reported.
Bolsonaro confirmed the raid to reporters and denied any role in the allegedly forged documents, reiterating that he had never taken a Covid vaccine. In a statement, the federal police said it issued a total of 16 search and arrest warrants as well as six preventive detention orders in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro. It said the investigation centered around the suspected insertion of incorrect vaccination data into the health ministry’s database between November 2021 and December 2022.
The federal Supreme Court is overseeing the investigation into the allegations, which include violating health regulations and participating in criminal associations. The former president returned to Brazil in March after fleeing to the US following his defeat in the October 2022 presidential election. He traveled to Florida last December after applying for a six-month US tourist visa, after losing the election to his leftist rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro is facing another investigation into whether he incited riots at the Supreme Court, Congress and the presidential palace on January 8, a week after Lula was inaugurated.
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