Brasilia: A Brazilian court has ordered Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil, to hand over the precious jewels he received as a gift from Saudi Arabia within five days. He also ordered an audit of all official gifts received during his tenure as president.
In 2019, the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), which oversees the government treasury, ordered Bolsonaro, who is also a far-right leader, to hand over two guns he received as a gift from the UAE to the presidential palace collection. “Under Brazilian law, government officials are only allowed to keep gifts that are very personal and of low monetary value,” Bruno Danes told a public hearing.
The court ruling comes amid allegations that he received millions of dollars worth of jewelery from Saudi Arabia as gifts and smuggled them into the country without permission while in official capacity. Bolsonaro has denied the allegations. The incident came to light after the Estado de São Paulo newspaper reported that customs officers stopped an aide to the then Minister of Mines and Energy trying to enter Brazil with a backpack containing diamond jewelry from Swiss luxury firm Chopard after an official trip to Saudi Arabia in October 2021.
It was later revealed that Bolsonaro also kept a second set of jewels from Chopard. According to media reports, the jewelry is worth $3.2 million for the first set and at least $75,000 for the second.