On Friday, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro admitted to having sent US$163,265 to an account in the United States shortly before concluding his term, but claimed he did so out of fear of the economic policies his successor, Lula da Silva, would adopt.
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Previously, the press leaked a document indicating that the Federal Police suspected Bolsonaro intended to use the funds to finance his stay in the United States while awaiting a possible coup in Brazil.
Bolsonaro clarified that the transfer was made from his savings account at Banco do Brasil to a branch of the same institution in the U.S., stating that the money remained in a Brazilian bank throughout. He added that sending money abroad is not a crime.
According to the Federal Police, the transfer was made on Dec. 27, 2022, five days before Lula assumed his third term as president of Brazil and three days before Bolsonaro traveled to Miami to avoid handing over the presidential sash to his successor.
The text reads, "Urgent: the DF civil police have just charged Jair Renan Bolsonaro, Bolsonaro's fourth son, for the crimes of ideological falsehood, use of false documents, and money laundering. Will he accompany his father in Papuda ? Great day!"
Last week, a Supreme Court judge ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passport to authorities to prevent him from leaving Brazil. This preventive measure was taken while judicial authorities investigate his possible participation in the 2023 coup attempt.
A high-profile police operation, which led to the arrest of four prominent figures of the far-right, was carried out on February 8, 2023, following the order for Bolsonaro to surrender his passport.
According to the investigation, the core of the Bolsonaro movement discussed the possibility of preventing Lula's inauguration after his victory in the October 2022 elections.
Although this conspiracy did not materialize, it allegedly led the far-right leadership to encourage the violent assault on the three branches of government on January 8, 2023, which aimed to force a military intervention to overthrow Lula's government.