A disqualified Bolsonaro could be held accountable for other crimes in Brazil

The eight-year ineligibility of Jair Bolsonaro, which was determined Friday in a trial in the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), today raises the possibility that the former Brazilian president will be convicted of other crimes.

Bolsonaro brings together investigations and judicial processes ranging from crimes against the electoral system, the poor performance of his government during the Covid-19 pandemic, to the January 8 coup d’état in this capital.

The Supreme Electoral Court disqualified the former governor for abuse of power and improper use of public media during the past elections.

With five votes in favor and two against, the court disqualified the former soldier from holding public office until 2030 for holding a publicly televised meeting with foreign ambassadors in July 2022 in which he attacked the voting system and electronic ballot boxes. .

At the meeting, held in the capital’s Palacio de la Alvorada (official residence), the ex-president, in front of some 40 foreign diplomats, did not contain his act either to question and once again attack the TSE and TSE ministers. Supreme Federal Court (STF).

Faced with the facts, the Democratic Party of Trapalhista moved quickly at the time for electoral justice.

Regarding the June 30 court ruling, the far-right politician said the decision resulted in a “stab in the back” and that he had recently received a stab in the stomach, referring to the assault he suffered in 2018.

He announced that he would evaluate with his lawyer the possibilities of appeal, not only to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, but also to the Supreme Court.

According to the Vermelho portal, despite his attempt to deny his transgressions, throughout his tenure and political career, Bolsonaro “has collected acts and omissions harmful to the country, the Brazilian people and democracy, for which he must answer before justice.”

In this sense, the former soldier faces five STF investigations that could lead him to prison, four of which are open during his tenure (2019-2022).

The strongest and final investigation points to his role as a possible instigator of the attacks and vandalism perpetrated against the headquarters of the three powers in Brasília, on January 8, by radical supporters who demanded military intervention and refused to take over the third power. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Also within the scope of investigations, the former paratrooper is facing charges of obstructing police work four times, in order to protect his relatives tainted by corruption, as well as spreading false information about electronic ballot boxes.

Similarly, two other investigations relate to the leaking of a police survey about a cyberattack on electoral justice and misleading statements about the COVID-19 pandemic, linking a vaccine against the pathogen to the risk of contracting HIV.

In addition to the above, the former army captain conducted election events and vulgar live broadcasts in public buildings to demand a vote.

As if that weren’t enough, the former president, who has someone to accuse him of, recently gave evidence to the federal police about three sets of luxury clothing provided by the government of Saudi Arabia, which he should have turned over to the state. And not to incorporate it into his personal assets.

Law enforcement recognizes “concrete evidence” that Bolsonaro has always acted with attempts to recover the expensive honours, and the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Flavio Dino, has promised that the investigation is nearing completion.

In May, the former president also denied involvement in possible fraud of Covid-19 vaccination certificates before traveling to the United States.

During an operation linked to the alleged fraud, the ex-governor was one of the targets of the so-called Operation Venire and his home in Brasília was searched, where agents also received his mobile phone.

For analysts, that adage that “justice, though limp, rarely fails to reach the criminal in its career” fulfills well in Bolsonaro.