Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro received third package of jewels from Saudi Arabia: Report

Jair Bolsonaro received the third batch of jewels from Saudi Arabia, as well as two undeclared shipments that have made allegations of corruption around the former president of Brazil.

The package of jewels that Bolsonaro received from the oil-rich kingdom includes white gold, a Rolex watch encrusted with diamonds, a Chopard pen, cufflinks, a ring, and an Islamic rosary, the newspaper Estado de Sao Paulo reported on Tuesday.

A scandal erupted last month, when the paper reported that customs officials seized a set of jewels estimated to be worth $3m from a Bolsonaro government aide who tried to bring them into the country undeclared in his backpack in 2021.

Last week, Bolsonaro complied with a court order to hand over a second set of jewels that went undetected through customs.

The federal police and the tax authority have opened investigations into the jewels, which came from the Swiss luxury house, Chopard.

Current Minister of Justice Flavio Dino says that Bolsonaro may have committed fraud or tax fraud. Brazilian law prohibits public officials from keeping expensive gifts.

According to Estado de Sao Paulo, Bolsonaro tried to hide the third package of jewels in a house owned by former Formula 1 driver Nelson Piquet.

The former president’s lawyer, Frederick Wassef, said in a March 7 statement that Bolsonaro received the treasures in a “very personal” way. The Brazilian leader has denied wrongdoing.

Bolsonaro, who lives in Florida, is expected to return to Brazil on Thursday and says he plans to re-energize the country’s far-right movement in the face of political difficulties.

The former president the Supreme Court faces five investigations that could land him in prison – four for alleged crimes during his term (2019-2022), and one for allegedly inciting a riot of supporters who stormed a palace of the presidency, the Congress and the Supreme Court on January 8, to lose a protest in the election.