Brazil’s Court of Auditors (TCU) has ruled that presidents can keep gifts received during their terms of office, including jewelry and other valuable items, to an extent that could help Jair Bolsonaro get rid of the so-called “jewelry business.”
The ruling appears to be a victory for current President Lula da Silva, who was sued for keeping a gold Cartier watch offered by France in 2005. But in practice, it opens the way for a dramatic reversal in the case against Bolsonaro in the Federal Supreme Court, in which the former president is accused of misappropriating gold and diamond jewelry offered by Saudi Arabia and selling it in the United States, which could lead to his arrest.
The rapporteur for the complaint to the TCU gave Lula a favourable opinion, since the court ruling prohibiting representatives from keeping the gifts was only issued in 2016. However, another TCU adviser, Jorge Oliveira, a former Bolsonaro minister, countered that the 2016 rules were vague and of no value, since Congress is the one that must legislate on the matter, and he was supported by the majority of the other judges in that body, on the understanding that until Parliament rules, representatives can keep the gifts they receive.
Author: Domingos Grilo Serrinha (Correspondent in Brazil)
Source: CM Jornal
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