Brazil’s Supreme Court subpoenas Bolsonaro over leaked documents

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes subpoenaed President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday and ordered police to question him in relation to a probe involving leaked documents.

The Justice had granted Bolsonaro a 60-day grace period to testify, which has already expired.

The matter concerns a leak by Bolsonaro of a secret police investigation into hacking against Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE), some months prior to the presidential election which Bolsonaro won in 2018.

Bolsonaro shared the information on his social media accounts and challenged the security of Brazil’s electronic voting system.

The claim was disregarded by Brazil’s electoral authorities.

Initially, Bolsonaro had agreed to speak with investigators, providing he could select the specific date, place and time, but he failed to do so.

According to Moraes, Bolsonaro’s testimony “is not just a means of ensuring that the relevant facts are brought to light and the pertinent arguments considered.”

He added that “in a Republic, the investigated person – whoever he or she may be – is normally subject to the scope of the compulsory powers of the State necessary to ensure the reliability of the evidence, being able, if necessary, to submit to the search of his person or property, to give his impressions, fingerprints when authorized by law, and to be subpoenaed for questioning.”