Brazil’s Senate Covid CPI may accuse Bolsonaro of dereliction of duty in Covaxin case

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The testimony of deputy Luis Miranda (DEM-DF) in the Senate Covid CPI (investigative committee) will lead its vice chairman Senator Randolfe Rodrigues (Rede-AP) to submit a complaint against President Jair Bolsonaro to the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGR) on Monday.

The senator accuses the head of government of committing the crime of “prevaricação” (malfeasance in office or dereliction of duty) by not having ordered an inquiry into an alleged corruption scheme involving the purchase of the Indian Covaxin vaccine.

In a statement on Friday, June 25, the deputy said that during a meeting with Bolsonaro on March 20 at the Alvorada Palace, the president cited government leader in the Chamber deputy Ricardo Barros (Progressistas-PR), as the legislator who wanted to be involved in the Ministry of Health regarding Covaxin.

Miranda and his brother, Luis Ricardo Miranda, a career civil servant, confirmed to the CPI that they had advised Bolsonaro about corruption suspicions in the purchase of the Indian vaccine.

According to senatoar Randolfe, Bolsonaro should be accused of the crime of malfeasance in office, because he had a legal obligation to alert the competent bodies about evidence of wrongdoing. In this case, it will be up to Prosecutor General of the Republic Augusto Aras to assess whether to investigate or even report Bolsonaro to the Federal Supreme Court (STF).

The Court is responsible for judging the head of the Executive branch in case of a common crime, but in such case it needs authorization from the Chamber of Deputies.

“This crime so far is the least to be ascertained. I am sure that the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee will investigate much more beyond that,” Randolfe said when announcing the criminal notice against Bolsonaro. On Friday, he said that he was considering bringing the case before the Federal Supreme Court (STF).

However, on Saturday he specified that the representation will be taken to the Prosecutor General, anticipating a measure that can be conducted by the CPI itself. But the Committee needs to complete its work and the report by Renan Calheiros (MDB-AL) to forward its conclusion to Aras. “The seriousness of the matter is much greater than you realize,” said CPI president Omar Aziz (PSD-AM).

Ricardo Barros

In the Chamber, the opposition is preparing a complaint against Ricardo Barros in the Chamber’s Ethics Council. The PSOL will activate the body and ask for the removal of the deputy, who denies involvement in the case cited by Luis Miranda.

“It is clear that Barros engaged in corruption by acting on behalf of Precisa Medicamentos in the context of the fraudulent Covaxin contract. Enough is enough,” wrote deputy Ivan Valente (PSOL-SP) on Twitter.

Government members, on the other hand, threatened to take Luis Miranda to the Ethics Council and accuse him of slanderous denunciation against the government.

Source: Exame