Former President Bolsonaro returned to Brazil after three months in the US – Reuters

After arriving at Brasilia airport early in the morning and greeting his supporters, Bolsonaro proceeded to a private event with Liberal Party allies, including party chairman Valdemar Costa Neto, his son Senator Flavio Bolsonaro and the former minister Braga Netto, vice-president. presidential candidate on Bolsonaro’s list in 2022.Brazilian media say the ex-president is likely to accept Neto’s invitation and become honorary president of the Liberal Party.Bolsonaro himself, before leaving the United States, in an interview for American journalists, again criticized the Lula government, the current ministers and said that there was no possibility of cooperation with the current administration. He also said he was not going to lead the opposition, but would participate in the work of his party “as an experienced politician”, while traveling around Brazil “once or twice a month” to meet his electorate. .Lula’s administration accuses Bolsonaro of involvement in riots in the Brazilian capital on January 8, when thousands of supporters of the ex-president, unhappy with the election results, stormed government buildings, pogroms and fights with law enforcement. Nevertheless, there have been no official charges against the ex-president from the country’s judicial authorities, which does not allow the arrest of Bolsonaro, as his opponents would like.
Another controversial issue that could affect the ex-president’s political future is the “decoration affair”. It was learned that in 2021, the Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, presented two sets of jewelry for his wife Bolsonaro Michel to the Minister of Mines and Energy of Brazil, Bento Albuquerque, who during of his visit to the Arab country represented the government of Bolsonaro. Upon the official’s return to Brazil, the gifts were not declared, but during the search, customs officials confiscated jewelry worth more than three million US dollars. Attempts to return the jewelry by Bolsonaro’s subordinates came to nothing. An investigation launched by the Brazilian Ministry of Justice and Public Security considers the ex-president involved in the evasion of import duties. Bolsonaro’s lawyers reject all charges against him. According to them, the ex-president did not know that the gift was intended specifically for his wife and was going to deposit it in a special department of the personal office of the president of Brazil, as required by law.