Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Aug 02, 2025

"Guilty Of Nothing": Jair Bolsonaro Denies Brazil Senate Panel's Pandemic Charges

"Guilty Of Nothing": Jair Bolsonaro Denies Brazil Senate Panel's Pandemic Charges

The 66-year-old leader quickly rejected the accusations, insisting he was "guilty of nothing." Brazil is one of the world's hardest hit countries with more than 600,000 deaths from the pandemic.

A Brazilian senate committee on Wednesday recommended that President Jair Bolsonaro face at least 10 charges, including crimes against humanity, over his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 66-year-old leader quickly rejected the accusations, insisting he was "guilty of nothing." Brazil is one of the world's hardest hit countries with more than 600,000 deaths from the pandemic.

Following six months of hearings, with emotional witness statements and chilling revelations, the committee of inquiry issued a report that seeks charges against around 60 people, including four ministers and two ex-ministers. Three of Bolsonaro's sons are among the accused.

"We know that we are guilty of absolutely nothing. We know that we did the right thing from the first moment," said Bolsonaro, during a visit to northeastern Ceara state.

Bolsonaro has repeatedly played down the seriousness of the virus, calling it a "little flu" at one point. He promoted treatments that scientists said were ineffective, railed against lockdown measures to slow the spread, and spoke out against vaccinations.

Next week lawmakers will vote whether to approve the 1,200 page report.

It describes Bolsonaro -- who faces a tricky election next year -- as "the main person responsible for the government's mistakes during the pandemic."

Besides crimes against humanity, the president is accused of "quackery," inciting crime and violation of health measures.

"The president has committed numerous crimes and will pay for it," said the committee's president Omar Aziz.

Symbolic charges


While the accusations are serious, the process may be just symbolic since Bolsonaro enjoys enough congressional support to avoid the opening of impeachment proceedings.

Likewise, Attorney General Augusto Aras, an ally appointed by Bolsonaro, could shield him from any indictment.

"This report will seem like a sentence, but the government is calm. You can criticize the president's attitude, but not incriminate him," Fernando Bezerra, head of the government's parliamentary bloc in the senate, told the Uol website.

The inquiry does not have the power to bring charges, but its revelations could have a political impact: the report will be sent to the public prosecutor, the federal court of accounts, and perhaps the International Criminal Court in the Hague, where other complaints against Bolsonaro have already been lodged.

It is yet another headache for the president, whose popularity has plummeted to an all-time low and who trails leftist former leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in polls ahead of next year's vote.

The report says that the committee has "gathered evidence that the federal government ... acted slowly in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, deliberately exposing the population to a real risk of mass infection."

It says Bolsonaro's crimes were "deliberate" and accuses his government of refusing to take necessary precautions to prevent the virus's spread, instead favoring a "high-risk" strategy of aiming for herd immunity among the population.

Harrowing testimony


After hearing testimony from several ministers, government officials, and business and hospital managers, the investigation ended with harrowing testimony on Monday from a nurse in the Amazon city of Manaus who saw dozens of patients dying and had to take care of her sister's four children after she also succumbed to the virus.

The committee investigated the government over a crippling lack of oxygen in Manaus during the worst moments of the pandemic, and also delays in buying vaccines, Bolsonaro's anti-lockdown speeches, and his original belittling of the virus.

Senators subsequently discovered irregularities in the acquisition of vaccines, something that generated strong suspicions of corruption.

"We deserve an apology from the highest authority in the state," Marcio Antonio Silva, a taxi driver who lost his 25-year-old son to Covid, told the panel, holding back tears.

Antonio Carlos Costa, president of the Rio de Paz NGO, blasted Bolsonaro's lack of remorse.

"We've never seen him shed tears of compassion, nor express his condolences for the Brazilian people in mourning," he said.

Flavio Bolsonaro, a lawmaker who is the president's son and among the accused, said the report was "an instrument of revenge against Bolsonaro and his family."

"It's clear, neither my brothers, nor I, and even less so the president, have committed any crimes."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
×