Police raid residence of ex-Brazilian President Bolsonaro
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s house was raided by police in a crackdown against a network that falsified Covid-19 vaccination data. The operation targeted 16 points in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro, resulting in the arrest of six people, including Bolsonaro’s former adviser Mauro Cid Barbosa. The Brazilian Federal Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes issued the order for the operation, which also saw the seizure of Bolsonaro and his wife’s mobile phones during searches.
According to the Brazilian Federal Police, people have been changing their vaccination status against Covid-19 and obtaining fake vaccination certificates, bypassing restrictions aimed at slowing the global pandemic. Evidence gathered from the raids is currently being examined.
Bolsonaro, who lost the presidential election in October 2022 and left Brazil before his term ended on December 31, 2022, spent three months in the USA before returning to Brazil on March 30. The raids mark the latest controversy for the former president, whose pandemic response has been criticized, leading to a surge in Covid-19 cases and related deaths in Brazil.
