Brazil lawmaker: President should face charges for COVID errors

By Ricardo Brito | Reuters

BRASILIA – The legislator starring a probe into Brazil’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has recommended that President Jair Bolsonaro look 13 transgression charges, including homicide, for decisions that allegedly encouraged the virus’ dispersed and helped pb to much than 600,000 deaths, according to a draught study seen by Reuters.

It remains highly unlikely, however, that Bolsonaro volition look a proceedings connected immoderate specified charges, which would person to beryllium brought by Brazil’s authoritative wide – a statesmanlike nominee. Bolsonaro has dismissed the probe arsenic politically motivated.

The draught study from the probe prepared by Senator Renan Calheiros inactive needs to beryllium voted connected by the Senate and could beryllium vetoed and altered. The ballot is scheduled to instrumentality spot adjacent week.

The presidency did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Earlier connected Tuesday, Bolsonaro told supporters the probe was a “joke” and said helium was not acrophobic astir it.

Brazil has the second-highest decease toll owed to COVID-19, down lone the United States. Bolsonaro has been wide criticized by nationalist wellness experts for railing against lockdowns, often refusing to deterioration a disguise successful public, and declaring helium has not yet been vaccinated.

He has besides pushed unproven remedies for the unwellness specified arsenic antimalarial hydroxychloroquine.

The astir 1,200 leafage papers points to Bolsonaro arsenic “principally liable for the government’s errors committed during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The study says that Bolsonaro acted against the proposal of his Health Ministry successful supporting the usage of unproven remedies.

The different crimes the study alleges include: genocide against Brazil’s indigenous population, malfeasance, irregular usage of nationalist funds, usurpation of sanitary measures, incitement to transgression and forgery of backstage documents.

The Health Ministry did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.