Prosecutor-general requests top‑court inquiry into Eduardo Bolsonaro
Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet has asked for an investigation into Representative on leave Eduardo Bolsonaro for his actions in the US against Brazilian authorities and institutions.
The rapporteur for the request is Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who was chosen on a preemptive basis, i.e. because of the case’s link to other cases under his competence.
Some actions carried out by Eduardo Bolsonaro in the US, the prosecutor says, may be aimed at intimidating Brazilian authorities and institutions as the criminal proceedings against his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, advance.
Such conduct could be classified as coercion and obstruction of investigations against a criminal organization, as well as an attempt on the democratic rule of law, he said.
The prosecutor seeks to investigate the lawmaker’s actions in favor of international sanctions against of the Judiciary, the Prosecutor-General’s Office, as well as the Federal Police.
Routine in the US
Eduardo Bolsonaro moved to the US in March, where he has been speaking out against what he calls the persecution of his political group and the violation of human rights in Brazil. On social media, the parliamentarian shares a routine of meetings seeking to punish Brazilian authorities, Prosecutor-General Gonet reported.
The attitude, he goes on, aims to “interfere with the regular progress of criminal proceedings, including criminal prosecution, underway against Mr. Jair Bolsonaro and allies.”
He cites, for example, statements by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said at a hearing that there was a “great possibility” that the White House would impose sanctions against Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
Gonet now wants the Federal Police to follow up on Bolsonaro’s actions in the US.
He also calls for Bolsonaro himself to be questioned, “given the fact that he directly benefited from said conduct and has declared that he is financially responsible for keeping Mr. Eduardo Bolsonaro in US territory,” he wrote.
The request to put the congressman under investigation was based on a criminal complaint filed by Representative Lindbergh Farias, who accused his colleague of undermining national sovereignty, Gonet goes on to note.
