Brazil: Justice reviews embarrassing video for Jair Bolsonaro

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and former Brazilian Minister of Justice Sergio Moro at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, October 3, 2019. REUTERS / Adriano Machado

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It's an embarrassing video for the Brazilian president. In a recording currently being examined by the justice system, Jair Bolsonaro justifies his will to replace the chief of the federal police in Rio de Janeiro with persecutions of which his family would be subjected.

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According to witnesses, the video confirms the accusations of former Minister of Justice Sergio Moro. He contends that the President pressed for the replacement of two federal police officers for political purposes.

The video was filmed on April 22 during a Council of Ministers in Brasilia, two days before the resignation ofSergio Moro. Some parts of the recording were leaked to the press.

We see the president threatening the Minister of Justice to dismiss him from office if he does not replace the director of the federal police and the chief of the federal police in Rio de Janeiro. His motivation was personal: an investigation into his family should be avoided, in particular into two of his sons accused of corruption.

The video is currently being investigated by prosecutors who have opened an investigation against Jair Bolsonaro for interfering in the work of the federal police for political gain.

The president was quick to react and said he had no concerns about the outcome of this investigation. And he claims never to have said the words "federal police" in the recording. He would only have been concerned about his personal safety.

The attorney general of Brazil must now transcribe the content of the video and question the ministers present at the meeting. Then he will decide whether or not to charge the head of state. This could open the way to a dismissal procedure.

Read also: Brazil: former anti-corruption judge Moro heard after accusations against Bolsonaro

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  • Brazil
  • Jair Bolsonaro
  • Corruption
  • Justice

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