Brazil’s public prosecutor has requested the Supreme Court to drop the investigation into former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who was accused of allegedly falsifying Covid-19 vaccine certificates during his time in office.
This decision came just one day after the court ruled to put Bolsonaro on trial for allegedly plotting a coup, a case that could derail his aspirations for a political comeback similar to that of Donald Trump.
Bolsonaro, a former army captain, faced widespread criticism for his handling of the pandemic, which claimed over 700,000 lives in Brazil. He was accused of ordering the falsification of vaccination certificates for himself, his wife, and daughter. However, the prosecutor’s office explained that it requested the case be dismissed because it was based “solely” on the testimony of Mauro Cid, a former Bolsonaro aide.
Paulo Cunha, one of Bolsonaro’s lawyers, welcomed the decision, asserting that the case lacked “any evidence.” He added, “We hope that the other investigations will meet the same outcome.”
Cid, who was Bolsonaro’s close confidant, also serves as the prosecution’s key witness in the coup case. However, the Public Prosecutor’s Office emphasized that the coup investigation was significantly different from the vaccine certificate case, citing “convincing, independent evidence” gathered by the Federal Police.
The 70-year-old former president faces up to 40 years in prison and potential political banishment if found guilty of attempting to overturn the results of Brazil’s divisive 2022 elections, in which leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva narrowly won. Even if acquitted, Bolsonaro will have to overcome a public office ban until 2030 to fulfill his promise of running for president again in next year’s election.
