I finished the previous column, published on 03/07, Tuesday, predicting an obvious outcome for the case of the Bolsonaro couple’s jewelry:
“Given his background, it is not difficult to imagine that Bolsonaro will throw into the sea, without lifeguards, the rear admirals and other soldiers involved in the failed operation to bring and rescue the presidential treasure, which has become a symbol of the Bolsonarist era”.
Well, yesterday, 03/08, less than 24 hours later, the ex-president on the run in Florida, confirmed in all letters the accuracy of what I wrote, in an interview with reporter Leandro Magalhães, from CNN, and in a note released by his lawyer, Frederic Wassef, guaranteeing that Bolsonaro did “everything within the law”, as reported today by Clarissa Oliveira, a columnist for Veja:
“It is more than clear that throughout the report that the former president chose his culprit: the former Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque. Bolsonarist, was aware of what would have happened to a case containing jewelry presented to Michelle Bolsonaro valued at R$ 16.5 million, held at the airport”.
Rear Admiral Bento Albuquerque, head of the mission sent to Saudi Arabia that brought the smuggled treasure, has already been summoned by the Federal Police to explain the “carteirada” he tried to give to the customs inspector, when his aide was caught in the act, saying the jewels were for former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro and therefore needed to be immediately released.
Another box of men’s jewelry passed through customs unharmed and was only delivered by the Ministry of Mines and Energy to Bolsonaro, a year later, when Bento Albuquerque had already left office.
Now, ministers of the Federal Court of Accounts want to retrieve these jewels, which should have been declared at customs and sent to the presidential collection as public property. Since they weren’t, it’s about theft, embezzlement in very clear Portuguese.
According to the former all-powerful head of Bolsonaro’s aide, Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, the case with the jewels was taken by the former president when he moved, it is not known where, since he now has no fixed address and nor does he intend to return to Brazil anytime soon.
Life goes on.
