Brazilian senator points to evidence of fraud in government Covaxin purchase document

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Senator Simone Tebet (MDB-MS) on Tuesday (6) in the Senate Covid CPI (investigative committee) pointed to evidence of manipulation of a document used by the federal government to try to discredit reports of potential irregularities in the import process of the Indian Covaxin vaccine against the  coronavirus.

Tebet pointed to indications of “clear evidence of fraudulent misrepresentation of a private document,” when presenting it during the CPI meeting on Tuesday that heard the testimony of Ministry of Health employee Regina Célia Oliveira, inspector of the contract for the purchase of the Indian vaccine.

“We are talking about “ideological falsehood” (fraudulent misrepresentation) someone perpetrated. The brand and the logo are misplaced, it is not aligned at some points. I found countless English mistakes, and, perhaps, the most striking is (mistake) 17: instead of ‘price’, ‘prince’ is written,” the senator noted.

Tebet was referring to the document submitted by the Ministry of Health’s ex-executive secretary and current special advisor to the Presidential Palace Elcio Franco, along with Minister Onyx Lorenzoni, to refute allegations of irregularities revealed to the CPI by the Miranda brothers.

Deputy Luís Miranda (DEM-DF) and his brother, Health Ministry employee Luís Ricardo Miranda, said they had notified president Jair Bolsonaro of suspected irregularities in the Covaxin contract, which led the CPI to target the president.

To the CPI, the brothers submitted copies of invoices presented throughout the negotiation for the purchase of vaccines. One of these copies was pointed out by the Minister and the special advisor as forged, at which time they produced what would be the true version now denounced by Tebet.

After Tebet’s intervention, Senator Eliziane Gama (Cidadania-MA) asked for technical expertise on the invoices for the Covaxin. “Senator Tebet has raised a potential document forgery and, therefore, an attempt to obstruct the work of the CPI, which is very serious,” Gama said.

Based on the Miranda brothers’ statements, senators called on the Federal Supreme Court (STF) on Monday to investigate Bolsonaro, saying there are “high chances” that the president has committed the crime of dereliction of duty by failing to act on the suspected irregularities.