In a statement, a former advisor stated that he warned former minister Bento Albuquerque about the lack of space in the suitcase
A member of the Navy and former adviser to the former Minister of Mines and Energy Bento Albuquerque, Marcos André dos Santos Soeiro told the PF (Federal Police) that he paid for excess baggage to be able to bring “so many gifts” that the government of Saudi Arabia gave to the Brazilian state. The information is from the newspaper The globe.
The Federal Revenue seized the jewels that were in Soeiro’s backpack when he landed at Guarulhos airport (SP), in October 2021. The military member was part of the ex-president’s government entourage Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in the Middle East and brought the pieces, valued at BRL 16.5 million, which would be a gift from the government of Saudi Arabia to the then First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro.
According to the reportSoeiro said that when he arrived in Brazil his luggage cart had “so many suitcases and boxes that it was above his head, which had never happened before”.
In his testimony, the military man said that on the last day of his official mission, Bento Albuquerque participated in a private dinner given by the Saudi royal family. According to the former advisor, at 11 pm he called the minister, because the trip back to Brazil was scheduled for the next few hours.
On the call, according to Soeiro, Albuquerque said “that the Saudi prince regent said he would send yet another gift to the hotel, however, the minister said he did not know what it was“.
The military told the PF that, around 00:00, an emissary from the prince went to the hotel where the Brazilian entourage was staying with two boxes wrapped in special paper with the royal family’s coat of arms. The envoy said that the gifts should be delivered to the then Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque.
Soeiro then called the minister, who was still at dinner, to say that “the boxes arrived and they were sealed“. At that moment, the military warned that there was a lack of space in his luggage. Albuquerque decided to take one package and the former advisor would transport the other, but only Soeiro was stopped by the Tax Authorities at the Guarulhos airport.
The former advisor also said that in addition to the jewelry, there were other items to bring, such as “big boxes with lots of fruits, coffees and oils”. Some of these objects were retained by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa).
REVENUE ARREST
Soeiro told the PF that, when going through customs in Brazil, he was stopped by a tax official for an inspection and Bento Albuquerque proceeded normally. In the statement, the military stated that, when passing through the X-ray, an auditor joked that the sculpture of the golden horse was lame – one of the animal’s legs was missing.
The Revenue official advised that he would open the boxes, “because it looked like it had jewelry”. Albuquerque, who had already left the place, returned and said it was a gift for Michelle, but the piece was seized.
The PF has already heard the former Minister of Mines and Energy and former President Bolsonaro was summoned to testify on Wednesday (5.Apr.2023) at 2:30 pm.
O Power360 contacted Bento Albuquerque’s advisory to clarify the points of Soeiro’s testimony, but did not receive a response until the publication of this report. The space remains open.
BOLSONARO’S JEWELS
A newspaper report Estadão revealed, on March 3, that the government of former president Jair Bolsonaro would have tried to bring jewelry to Brazil without declaring it to the Federal Revenue. The pieces, valued at BRL 16.5 millionwould be a gift from the government of Saudi Arabia to the then first lady Michelle Bolsonaro.
The set consisted of a diamond necklace, ring, watch and earrings with a certificate of authenticity from chopardSwiss brand of luxury accessories.
The pieces were seized at the Guarulhos airport, in São Paulo. They were in the backpack of an advisor to the then Minister Bento Albuquerque (Mines and Energy), who was part of the federal government’s entourage in the Middle East, in October 2021.
The legislation determines that assets exceeding the value of US$ 1,000 must be declared. In this case, Bolsonaro would have to pay import tax equivalent to 50% of the value of the product and a fine equal to 25% of the total seized item – a total of R$ 12 million.
To enter the country without paying the tax, it was necessary to declare the jewels as an official gift for the First Lady and the President of the Republic. In this way, the jewels would be destined to the Union’s assets.
According to the report, the former head of the Executive tried to recover the jewels 8 times, using Itamaraty and officials from the Ministry of Mines and Energy and even the Navy, but failed.
Bolsonaro denied the illegality of the pieces and said he was being accused of a gift he neither asked for nor received. Michelle also said she was unaware of the set.
After the publication of the report by the newspaper, the former head of the Special Secretariat for Social Communication in the Bolsonaro government, Fabio Wajngarten, published a series of documents and stated that the jewels would go to the presidential collection.
Despite the letters released by Wajngarten, the Federal Revenue said on March 4 that the Bolsonaro government had not followed the necessary procedures to incorporate the pieces into the Union’s collection.
On March 7, the PF (Federal Police) had access to a document showing the 2nd package of jewelry from Saudi Arabia listed as the former president’s private collection. The new document contradicts Bolsonaro’s version, which stated that the jewelry donated by the Saudi government would be sent to the Union’s collection.
With the PF statement, the former president confirmed that the 2nd Chopard jewelry box was listed as a personal collection. However, he continued to deny the illegality of the pieces.
The former president’s defense delivered the items to Caixa Econômica Federal on Friday (24.mar).
On Tuesday (28.Mar), it was revealed that the former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) has a 3rd box of jewelry received from the government of Saudi Arabia. The gift valued at at least BRL 500,000 was given to the then Chief Executive during a visit to the country in 2019. The State of S. Paulo.
Part of the set:
- brand watch Rolexof white gold and set with diamonds;
- brand pen chopard silver, with inlaid stones;
- pair of cufflinks in white gold, with a brilliant set in the center and other diamonds around it;
- white gold ring with a diamond in the center and others in the shape of a baguette around it;
- masbahaan Arabic rosary in white gold, with diamond-studded pendants.
The value of R$ 500,000 for the set is an estimate of the Estadão. The newspaper had access to a document proving that the box was delivered directly to Bolsonaro when he was on an official trip to Doha, Qatar, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from October 28 to 30, 2019. The other 2 sets of jewels given to the former president by the Saudis were sent through intermediaries (read more below).
Upon arrival in Brazil, the items were sent to the then president’s private collection. The parts registration document states that there was no intermediary in the process and that the gift was viewed by the president.
On June 6 of last year, according to data from the Presidency’s system, a request was made for the items to be “forwarded to the office of President Jair Bolsonaro”. Two days later it was confirmed that they were “under the protection of the President of the Republic”.
#Military #tells #paid #excess #baggage #jewelry