Bolsonaro “aware of the risks” of staying in Brazil in the face of…

Bloomberg — Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said he is “aware of the risks” of remaining in the country, but added that he “cannot back down” in the face of escalating legal issues raising the prospect of his arrest.

These are tough times.”Bolsonaro said Friday night at a public event in the city of Goiás, in Brazil’s midwestern region, the Folha de Sao Paulo website reported.

During the ceremony, at which local officials paid tribute, Bolsonaro avoided making direct comments about the many judicial problems he has faced since leaving office late last year, according to the newspaper.

Late Thursday, local media reported that a senior judge had granted investigators access to Bolsonaro’s bank and tax records, in the latest in a whirl of legal troubles. Brazil’s electoral authority banned him from appearing at elections, his house was raided by the police and he was called to testify in four different investigations.

Bolsonaro is the subject of a series of investigations. Including an alleged diversion of gifts from foreign authorities. Brazilian officials are not allowed to keep the most important gifts they receive.

The former president also faces accusations that he is undermining Brazil’s electoral system. Last week, a computer programmer said Bolsonaro asked him to disclose vulnerabilities in voting machines.

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