Bolsonaro denies trying to smuggle jewelry into Brazil

BRASILIA (AP) — Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Saturday he had done nothing illegal following reports that he tried to smuggle more than $3 million worth of jewelry into the country in 2021 without declaring it to the authorities.

The jewelry – a set of earrings, a necklace, a ring and a Swiss Chopard watch – was a gift from the Saudi government to Bolsonaro when he was president, according to a report in the O Estado de São Paulo newspaper on Friday.

The coins were found in luggage belonging to an adviser to Bolsonaro’s mines and energy minister at São Paulo International Airport, according to the newspaper. The minister had traveled to Saudi Arabia after attending a summit in the Middle East in 2021.

According to Brazilian law, goods purchased abroad that exceed the equivalent of US$1,000 must be declared for tax purposes.

According to a document obtained by the newspaper and later published by the former executive secretary of the Ministry of Communications, Fabio Wajngarten, the jewelry was not declared.

Wajngarten wrote on his social media that the box was sealed and was only opened by customs authorities in Brazil.

He said that since it was a gift for the president, neither he nor the other members of the delegation tried to open it.

Investigators will now investigate whether Bolsonaro attempted to secretly smuggle the jewelry into Brazil to avoid paying taxes or to keep it from entering the presidential public collection.

If he had put them in the public collection, Bolsonaro could have taken them with him once he left the presidential office.

On Saturday, Bolsonaro said he never committed any illegal action and was charged with a gift he never asked for and never received, according to a statement provided to CNN Brazil.

Justice Minister Flavio Dino wrote on his social media that he will send a letter on Monday asking the police to open an investigation for possible money laundering or embezzlement.