Brazilian Prosecutor’s Office Charges Jair Bolsonaro’s Eldest Son with Corruption
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Federal Prosecutor’s Office has charged Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, President Jair Bolsonaro’s eldest son, with four crimes related to a corruption case during his time as a state deputy in Rio de Janeiro.
The Rio de Janeiro Prosecutor’s Office charged Flávio Bolsonaro, Fabrício Queiroz – who was head of his office staff – and fifteen others, for “criminal organization, embezzlement, money laundering and misappropriation” between 2007 and 2018.
The case has been ongoing since 2018 and involves an investigation into a corruption scheme that, according to the Prosecutor’s Office, was led by and benefited the President’s eldest son when he was a deputy in the Rio de Janeiro Legislative Assembly (ALERJ).
The Prosecutor’s Office reported in a statement that it filed a complaint with the Rio Court of Appeals on October 19th, but the judge only accepted it for consideration on Tuesday this week because he had been on vacation.
The authorities did not provide further details regarding the complaint because the court proceeding, known in Brazil as the ”rachadinha” (“splitting”) case (in which politicians pack their public payrolls with non-working staff who kick back part of their salaries), is being conducted under judicial seal.
The investigation began with the detection of atypical financial transactions identified in Flávio Bolsonaro’s bank account and in that of 74 of his former employees in ALERJ.
One of the key figures in the plot, according to the Prosecutor’s Office, is Fabrício Queiroz, who is currently under house arrest in connection with this case. Queiroz was arrested last June at the home of one of the Bolsonaro family’s attorneys in the interior of São Paulo state, where he had been hiding for a year.
According to the investigation, the corrupt network that Flávio Bolsonaro allegedly led and benefited from, operated by hiring “ghost” officials for his cabinet and appropriating at least half of their salaries, which were managed by Queiroz and his wife.
According to financial authorities, in one year R$1.2 million (about US$210,000 at today’s exchange rate) were transferred to Queiroz’s bank account, a figure incompatible with his monthly income, which at the time was just over R$20,000 (almost US$3,500).
This case does not directly concern the head of state, although in the course of the inquiry investigators found that Queiroz had deposited R$72,000 (US$12,500) in the bank account of First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro.
Senator Flávio Bolsonaro has always denied the accusations and maintains that the suspicions against him are an attempt to tarnish the image of his father’s government.
Source: infobae
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