Between January and July 2023, former president Jair Bolsonaro received 17 million Brazilian reais in donations from his supporters. Bolsonarist deputies and influencers initiated a campaign at the end of June to request donations for Bolsonaro through Pix.
It is claimed that the former president is a victim of “judicial harassment” and needs assistance to pay “various fines in absurd legal proceedings”. Among the legislators who requested cash contributions are federal deputies Nikolas Ferreira – recently involved in controversy for making transphobic attacks on International Women’s Day – Mário Frias, and Gustavo Gayer, among others.
Any kind of suspects
Theoretically, the financial support for the former president begins with eight accumulated fines issued by the State Health Department of São Paulo, due to Bolsonaro’s negligence in wearing a mask during the Covid-19 pandemic; the fine amount reached one million Brazilian reais, which is supposed to be paid by the time of writing this article (16th).
Legally, no jurisdiction prevents Bolsonaro from receiving contributions. “Donations to settle debts or fines are not innovative in the Brazilian political scenario, and we can trace back to donations made by admirers of members of the Workers’ Party convicted in the 470th Criminal Action; by supporters of former deputy Daniel Silveira, who was ordered to pay over 400 thousand reais for disobeying a court decision,” says Vladimir Sampaio. He is a lawyer specialized in Criminal Law and Criminology who is associated with the Brazilian Institute of Criminal Sciences. However, the story told by the politician has easily noticeable holes.
On June 29th, the former president stated, “It was something spontaneous from the population. Pix was born during our government. Enough has already been collected to pay the current fines and the anticipation of other fines. We will reveal the amount later.” However, almost two months ago, the amount to settle the fine was already complete. Why will it only be paid now?
“The COAF (Financial Activities Control Council), as an institution combating money laundering, should analyze any transactions that deviate from the implemented parameters. This does not necessarily mean that the money comes from illicit sources or has a money laundering character,” Sampaio points out. The issue is that the movement of such a large amount with so little transparency raises suspicions.
Focusing on what really matters
Francisco Stefanelli is not a Bolsonaro supporter, unlike Roberto Palácio, who has voted for him on every occasion. However, they both agree: if he has been fined, he should pay the debt, end of the story. But when it comes to donations, similar ideas diverge into two roots. While Roberto states that “anyone’s crazy enough to do everything, it’s his luck to get so many donations”, Francisco is suspicious of the origin of the Pix payments: “He has the right to ask, and supporters have the right to donate. The point is: who are they? Could this be another form of money laundering?” he questions.
Indeed, it’s a question worth asking. Bolsonaro took on the role of honorary president of the PL party this year. The salary is R$ 39,000. In addition to this amount, he also receives pensions from the Army and the Chamber of Deputies. Therefore, with pensions and salaries combined, he earns over R$ 75,000 monthly. Hence, it’s at least peculiar that a former representative of a nation’s highest office would need donations, especially while receiving such a substantial salary. However, these inquiries are impossible to resolve. “Legally, only the COAF, the Judiciary, or a CPI or CPMI would have the authority to ascertain whether money laundering has occurred or not,” Sampaio adds.
Out of the 17 million collected, 14 thousand went to the Mega-Sena lottery, according to Bolsonaro. “R$ 14,268.04 … 17 Pix payments to my nephew who works in a lottery shop in Eldorado/SP. The majority of the deposits are multiples of the 7-number Mega-Sena lottery bet. I hit the ‘quadra’ twice in the last few months, hence, in the accounting, the amounts aren’t multiples”, he stated. Bolsonaro also thanked his supporters who donated, saying, “It’s enough to buy a pastry with Michelle (Bolsonaro)”. Our editorial team reached out to donors who contributed to the former president, but they declined to respond.
Possibilities of a crime
The COAF has been generating Financial Intelligence Reports (RIF) whenever prompted by the commission. One of these reports is related to the Pix payments received by Bolsonaro. There is a tangible expectation that the commission’s president, Arthur Maia, will bring the request to a vote – in plain words, the commission has found sufficient justifications to investigate the source of the money collected by Bolsonaro. “To question whether he should or should not ask, whether his family has or does not have such resources, is to deviate from what really matters,” Francisco concludes.
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The article above was edited by Ana Beatriz Aith.
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