If Jair Bolsonaru is found guilty, he could face 180 days’ suspension or impeachment.
Brazilian Federal Supreme Court Judge Celso de Melo authorized an investigation on Monday into President Jair Bolsonaro, whom former Justice Minister Sergio Moru accused on Friday of committing a number of official crimes.
“[The President] cannot be exempted from criminal responsibility for his actions, as no one, including the head of the country’s executive branch, can be above the Constitution and the laws of the Republic”, – the judge concluded in response to a request from the prosecution service. Now the investigation will have to check the statements of the former minister, and if they are not confirmed, Moru himself may be held liable for libel and defamatory statements. If Bolsonar was found guilty, he could face a 180-day suspension and possibly impeachment.
When he resigned on Friday, Mora had accused the Head of State of falsifying documents, using his official position for personal gain, interfering with the work of investigative bodies and obstructing justice. In particular, according to the former minister, Bolsonaru had tried to interfere with investigations involving his sons. According to Moru, that was the real reason for the dismissal of the head of the Federal Police, Mauricio Leite Valeixo, and forced him to resign. The decree itself was also falsified because the former minister’s electronic signature was put without his knowledge, Moru says.
Bolsonaru, in response, accused a former subordinate of treason, saying that Moru was thus trying to score points before the 2022 presidential election. The departure of arguably the most popular and respected minister in the government has drawn a wide public response, exacerbating an already tense domestic political situation.
Against this background, a number of parliamentarians submitted petitions to the leadership of the legislature to initiate the impeachment of the head of state. The Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies Rodrigu Maya is in the political opposition to Bolsonar, but he is not in a hurry to make a move on these statements, considering them untimely during the fight against the coronavirus epidemic.
While a federal judge, Rodrigu Maya commanded a high-profile anti-corruption operation “Auto Wash” and in 2017 passed the first verdict of guilty against former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who repeatedly stated the political background of the case. The former head of State had intended to run for office again, but the conviction put an end to those plans. As a result, ultra-right Bolsonara won the 2018 presidential election, inviting Maura to his government a few days after the vote.