Investigating Contract To Purchase COVID-19 Vaccine From India, Brazilian Federal Police Investigate President Bolsonaro

President Brazil Jair Bolsonaro. (Wikimedia Commons/Beto Oliveira _ Chamber of Deputies)

JAKARTA - Brazil's Federal Police has officially opened an investigation into President Jair Bolsonaro, related to alleged irregularities in the purchase of a COVID-19 vaccine from India, said a source familiar with the matter on Monday 12 July local time.

President Bolsonaro has been caught up in allegations of irregularities surrounding a 1.6 billion reais ($316 million) contract signed in February for 20 million doses with Brazilian intermediary for vaccine maker Bharat Biotech.

The Brazilian Senate commission investigating the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has raised suspicions about the exorbitant price and alleged corruption linked to the contract. Several senators accused President Bolsonaro of not investigating the allegations immediately, of wrongdoing when he was told.

After reports of irregularities became public, the government suspended the contract.

The scandal has damaged Bolsonaro's standing in opinion polls. Many have been disappointed by its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, with Brazil being the second deadliest in the world. In addition, there are also allegations of vaccine corruption, and rising prices for fuel, electricity, and food.

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin vaccine. (Source: bharatbiotech.com)

Brazil's federal prosecutor and the office of the general financial watchdog, or CGU, are also separately investigating alleged irregularities in the deal. Meanwhile, President Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing.

As previously reported, amid problems with the spike in cases of infection and death, the Brazilian government is currently under surveillance and investigation regarding the purchase of the COVID-19 vaccine, which is considered more expensive.

After failing to respond to Pfizer's vaccine offer that delayed vaccination last year, the government instead struck a deal for a more expensive vaccine made by India's Bharat Biotech.

A Brazilian Senate Committee is investigating the allegations related to Bharat amid a wider investigation into the government's response. A Brazilian Health Ministry official told prosecutors he faced internal pressure from an aide to the health minister who had been replaced by Eduardo Pazuello to buy the Bharat vaccine.

Illustration of a COVID-19 vaccination in Brazil. (Wikimedia Commons/Governo do Estado de São Paulo)

The Senate panel investigating the government's handling of the pandemic on Wednesday formally summoned the logistics department official, Luís Ricardo Miranda, to testify.

Senate committees and prosecutors are investigating why the government sought to seal a deal for a more expensive vaccine from Bharat, while ignoring an earlier offer last year from Pfizer.

Miranda told prosecutors she was pressured by Alex Lial Marinho, an aide to one of Bolsonaro's closest allies, former Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello.

Miranda was first quoted in O Globo newspaper on Wednesday as saying she brought her concerns, with documents, to Bolsonaro on March 20, and the president said he would speak to the federal police chief. The meeting was brokered by Miranda's brother, Congressman Luís Miranda.

"This is an apparent attempt to take public money for no documented purpose, with inflated value and ulterior motives," the congressman said.

Illustration of the handling of COVID-19 in Brazil. (Wikimedia Commons/Alice MafraCaption)

The Health Ministry did not immediately respond to a request to interview Marinho, and Reuters was unable to contact him independently.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, Bolsonaro's Presidential Secretary Onyx Lorenzoni said there was no peddling influence, suggesting the allegations were based on false documents.

The investigation raises problems for President Bolsonaro, with questions likely to arise about how he responds to Miranda's allegations. It also raises awkward questions for Pazuello, who faced criminal and civil investigations in his handling of the pandemic while serving as minister.

Miranda's two brothers are expected to testify before Senate investigators this Friday. Marinho, an aide to the former health minister, has also been called to testify before the investigation, which has unsealed his bank, telephone, and tax records.

Brazil's federal prosecutors have opened an investigation into a contract worth 1.6 billion reais (US$320 million) for 20 million doses of Bharat Biotech's vaccine. Prosecutors cited relatively high prices, speedy talks, and delayed regulatory approvals as red flags for contracts signed in February.

Separately in a statement, Bharat said the price of his vaccine was consistently US$15 - US$20 per dose for foreign governments, the range at which Brazilian contracts fall. Despite signing a deal with Brazil in February, Bharat says it has not shipped any vaccines as it awaits approval and official purchase orders.