Anshika Tiwari –
Justice Rosa Weber of the Supreme Court of Brazil signalled assent for investigation of President Jair Bolsonaro by the top prosecutor’s office, or PGR, on charges of dereliction of duty in the process of procuring Covid 19 vaccines.
The investigation of the president by the PGR requires a formal authorisation by the Supreme Court. In her verdict, Justice Weber has given the authorities a 90 day period for collecting evidence pertaining to the case.
The President’s name has been linked to irregularities connected with a $316 dollars -worth contract. The said contract was entered into in February with a Brazilian intermediary of Bharat Biotech, the Indian Pharmaceutical entity. It was concerned with an import of about 20 million vaccine doses.
A statement from Luis Ricardo Miranda (Chief, Health Ministry’s Import Division) that he faced undue pressure to sign off the import contract, triggered the inquiry.
Miranda reported irregularities in the invoices – a USD 45 million upfront payment to a Singapore-based company, in particular.
In a testimony before the Senate Committee, Miranda told that they had brought forward their concerns directly to Bolsonaro, who assured them he would report the irregularities to the Federal Police. However, the Federal Police never received any investigation request from Bolsonaro, a Federal Police Source anonymously told The Associated Press.
The matter is also being independently investigated by Brazilian federal prosecutors and the comptroller general’s office, or CGU.
Bharat Biotech has denied any wrongdoing and President Bolsonaro has also disowned any knowledge of allegations of corruption and overpricing.
The offence carries a prison term ranging between three months and a year, in addition to a monetary fine.
Brazil was one of the worst-hit countries during the Covid-19 outbreak and it reported the second-highest number of deaths worldwide.