The World Briefly

March 20, 2024

Piling Up

Brazil

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Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was indicted Tuesday for falsifying Covid-19 vaccination records, marking the first indictment of the embattled conservative leader, the Associated Press reported.

The federal police indictment, released by the Supreme Court, accused Bolsonaro and 16 others of manipulating public health data to falsely indicate vaccination.

The accused allegedly aimed to secure fraudulent vaccination certificates, facilitating Bolsonaro’s travels – notably to the United States in December 2022, following his electoral defeat to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The indictment underscores a broader pattern of controversy surrounding Bolsonaro’s handling of the pandemic. During his presidency, Bolsonaro drew criticism for downplaying the severity of the coronavirus and undermining vaccination efforts, aligning himself with a minority of world leaders who questioned the vaccine’s efficacy.

His administration’s refusal of vaccine offers and criticism of vaccine procurement initiatives exacerbated Brazil’s pandemic response, the newswire wrote.

While Bolsonaro’s legal team dismissed the charges as politically motivated, the indictment adds pressure on the far-right former leader, who is currently facing a series of investigations, including ones targeting his involvement in the Jan 8, 2023 uprising and others involving campaign finance misconduct.

Last year, Brazil’s top electoral court barred the former president from running for office until 2030, after it concluded that he abused his power during the 2022 presidential campaign and cast unfounded doubts on the country’s electronic voting system.

If found guilty of falsifying his health data, Bolsonaro could face up to 12 years in prison.

Meanwhile, analysts noted that Bolsonaro continues to command a loyal base of supporters despite his mounting legal challenges.

This story originally appeared in the March 20, 2024 newsletter, The Dream.