Brasilia:
Three Brazilian senators formally accused President Jair Bolsonaro of malfeasance prior to the Supreme Court Monday more than allegations he failed to have a leading ally investigated for suspicions of huge corruption in the acquire of Covid-19 vaccines.
The criminal complaint comes just after a Senate commission investigating the administration’s pandemic response uncovered explosive accusations last week that Bolsonaro knew about suspected corruption in Brazil’s $300-million deal for Indian-made vaccine Covaxin and failed to intervene.
“I filed a criminal complaint today with the Supreme Court because of the serious accusation that the president took no action after being notified of a gigantic corruption scheme at the health ministry,” stated opposition Senator Randolfe Rodrigues, the commission’s deputy chair.
A criminal case against Bolsonaro prior to the Supreme Court could see him removed from workplace — although Prosecutor General Augusto Aras, an ally, would have to bring charges.
More right away, the case dangers damaging Bolsonaro politically at a time when his help is dwindling and polls spot him far behind leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva heading into elections next year.
– 1,000% overbilling –
The allegations emerged when a Singapore-based firm now suspected of becoming a shell firm billed the Brazilian overall health ministry $45 million for however-to-be-delivered doses of Covaxin, which did not even have regulatory approval in Brazil.
That raised red flags for a overall health ministry official named Luis Ricardo Miranda.
He refused to sign off on the payment, offered that Brazil’s contract for Covaxin did not mention any firm in Singapore and stated payment was to be made on delivery.
Miranda told the Senate inquiry his superiors at the ministry exerted “atypical, excessive” stress on him to approve the payment.
He took his issues to his brother, Luis Miranda, a congressman close to Bolsonaro, who arranged a meeting for them with the president.
Congressman Miranda testified Friday that Bolsonaro told them at the March 20 meeting he suspected the alleged corruption scheme was the work of Ricardo Barros, a effective lawmaker who is head of Bolsonaro’s coalition in the reduced residence.
Congressman Miranda stated Bolsonaro told him he would order the police to investigate, but never ever did.
Other irregularities in Brazil’s Covaxin deal quickly emerged, forcing the administration to cancel it as prosecutors opened an investigation.
According to newspaper Estado de Sao Paulo, Bharat Biotech, the vaccine’s manufacturer, initially quoted a price tag of $1.34 a dose.
But Brazil agreed to spend $15 a dose, more than for any other vaccine it bought.
(This story has not been edited by TheSpuzz employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)