Brazilian Police Investigate Falsification of Former President Bolsonaro's COVID-19 Vaccination Data

Jair Bolsonaro. (Wikimedia Commons/Marcos Brandmen/Senado Federal)

JAKARTA - Brazil's federal police have officially accused former President Jair Bolsonaro of fraud on his vaccination records, opening the door to criminal charges, according to a police report on Tuesday.

An investigation carried out by the comptroller general's office found that Bolsonaro's vaccination records were falsified to show he received a COVID-19 vaccination in Sao Paulo in July 2021, when he was not in the city, reported Reuters, March 20.

Police found in their report that Bolsonaro could be charged with falsifying data in the public health system (SUS) and committing organized crime to circumvent public health rules.

One of his former aides, Mauro Cid, who was arrested in May during the investigation and released as part of a plea bargain, was also formally accused in the police report.

Police discovered Cid fraudulently obtained Bolsonaro and his daughter Laura's vaccination records at the then president's request. Cid's plea bargaining testimony is used as evidence against his former boss.

Bolsonaro told Reuters he had not received a COVID vaccine or done anything wrong: "This is a selective investigation. I am calm," the former president said.

"The world knows that I did not receive the vaccine," he continued.

The police said the fake certificates were issued "to obtain undue benefits, related to evasion of the sanitation rules established during the pandemic period".

During his time in office, President Bolsonaro has repeatedly downplayed the importance of vaccinations and social distancing measures during the pandemic, which has killed more than 700,000 people in Brazil.

The police report accused Bolsonaro of crimes, paving the way for Brazil's attorney general to file criminal charges with the Supreme Court.

Bolsonaro has been declared politically ineligible until 2030, for spreading election misinformation during the 2022 elections. Police recently confiscated his passport while investigating his bid to retain power, after losing the election to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Last week, the former commander of Brazil's army and air force confirmed that Jair Bolsonaro discussed a draft decree to prevent a handover of power after the election.