On Wednesday (3), former president Jair Bolsonaro was the target of an action by the Brazilian Federal Police, which is investigating the alteration of vaccination cards.
According to a statement from the Brazilian Federal Police, Operation Venire is investigating the insertion of false information into the Covid-19 vaccination records of the Ministry of Health between November 2021 and December 2022. According to the Police, the false information aimed to guarantee beneficiaries the record of vaccination against Covid, required to access certain places and engage in various activities, such as traveling, for example.
What do the president and his family have to do with this?
The Police are investigating whether Bolsonaro and members of his family are among those benefited by the alteration of the records. In December 2022, Bolsonaro and his family traveled to Orlando, United States, a country that requires all visitors to present a Covid vaccination card. However, there are exceptions: diplomats on missions for their countries and heads of state do not need to present the health document.
Bolsonaro entered the United States two days before leaving the presidency, that is, still as head of state. This means that presenting the Covid vaccination card was not mandatory.
“I was never asked for a vaccination card in the US. There is no falsification on my part,” said the former president as he left his residence in Brasília, accompanied by his defense attorneys, after a search and seizure at his home, during which the Federal Police seized, among other things, a cell phone belonging to the former president.
Falsifying data to enter the US can lead to up to 10 years in prison
According to the US embassy in Brazil, presenting false data to enter the country is a federal crime and can result in up to 10 years in prison.
“If you commit fraud, you will not receive the immigration benefit you seek and may face fines and imprisonment,” says the website of the US embassy in Brazil.
According to US law, the punishment for those who provide false data “knowingly and intentionally” is up to 10 years in prison for first-time offenders who did not intend to commit terrorism or drug trafficking crimes.
Source: Agência Brasil and UOL