Brazil senators vote for Bolsonaro to face charges

BRASILIA: A Brazilian Senate committee recommended on Tuesday that President Jair Bolsonaro face a series of criminal indictments for actions and omissions related to the world’s second highest COVID-19 death toll.

The 7-to-4 vote was the culmination of a six-month committee investigation of the government’s handling of the pandemic.

It formally approved a report calling for prosecutors to try Bolsonaro on charges ranging from charlatanism and inciting crime to misuse of public funds and crimes against humanity, and in doing so hold him responsible for many of Brazil’s more than 600,000 COVID-19 deaths.

The president has denied wrongdoing, and the decision on whether to file most of the charges will be up to Prosecutor-General Augusto Aras, a Bolsonaro appointee who is widely viewed as protecting him.

The allegation of crimes against humanity would need to be pursued by the International Criminal Court.

Members in the so-called "G7" group of senators who aren't from Bolsonaro's base agreed on most of the points in Calheiros' report presented last week.

They held a meeting on Monday evening at the home of the inquiry's president, Sen. Omar Aziz, to hammer out final adjustments to the text.

One change is that the version to be voted Tuesday adds more than a dozen people it says should be charged, many of whom are former or current employees at the Health Ministry, according to a copy the offices of two committee members provided to the AP.

The final report recommends charges against two companies and 79 people, including Bolsonaro himself, current and former members of his administration, dozens of allies and the president's three sons who are politicians.

Another revision is in a portion related to the dissemination of allegedly false news.

Calheiros decided to incorporate a criminal infraction following Bolsonaro's live broadcast on social media last Thursday, in which he claimed Covid-19 vaccines could lead to Aids.

The report also contains recommendations for two counts of "crime of responsibility", which is grounds for impeachment.

Lower House Speaker Arthur Lira, a staunch Bolsonaro ally, would need to bring to a vote whether to open impeachment proceedings.

That's far from given, considering Lira is currently sitting on more than 120 other impeachment requests, according to official information from the Lower House.

Regardless of whether charges are filed, the report is expected to fuel criticism of the divisive president, whose approval ratings have slumped ahead of his 2022 reelection campaign

Bolsonaro has defended himself by saying he was among the few world leaders courageous enough to defy political correctness and global health recommendations, and that he hasn't erred in the slightest.

The Senate committee’s final hearing on the inquiry Tuesday ended with a moment of silence for victims of the virus in Brazil.