Brazil police raid Bolsonaro’s home in COVID vaccine card investigation : NPR

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Federal police in Brazil raided the home of the former significantly-ideal President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday, as component of an investigation into attainable falsification of COVID-19 vaccine playing cards.

The previous president’s cellular mobile phone was seized.

The raid took place early Wednesday early morning at the former president’s property in Brazil’s cash, Brasilia. The Federal Police say they served 16 look for and seizure warrants, as perfectly as six preventive arrest warrants in the money and in Rio de Janeiro. The names of the targeted individuals have been not disclosed.

Investigators say officials in Bolsonaro’s inner circle produced untrue vaccination certificates so that unvaccinated tourists, which includes the former president, his family members members and assistants’ relations, could enter the U.S. and circumvent mandatory immunization necessities.

Bolsonaro, a vehement skeptic of COVID vaccines, confirmed to reporters that his residence had been raided and mentioned that he was not vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19. He denied any job in allegedly forging documents.

“I failed to choose the vaccine, my individual determination,” he instructed reporters.

Community media report that some of Bolsonaro’s closest aides, like his personalized safety guard and secretary, were arrested. The Federal Law enforcement explained they had been investigating a quantity of possible general public health offenses.

An official told journalists that Bolsonaro will be deposed at federal police headquarters afterwards on Wednesday.

Responding to the raid, Valdemar Costa Neto, the leader of Bolsonaro’s political occasion, wrote on Twitter that his social gathering “have faith in[s] that all doubts the judiciary has will be clarified and it will be confirmed that Bolsonaro failed to do something illegal.”