May 3 (UPI) – Brazil’s federal police on Wednesday searched the mansion of former President Jair Bolsonaro and arrested close affiliates in an alleged attempt to falsify COVID-19 vaccination records in the United States.
“On Wednesday, the federal police introduced Operation Venire to explain the movements of an arrangement of criminals formed to commit the crimes of placing false information about vaccination against Covid-19 in the SI-PNI and RNDS systems of the Ministry of Health,” the police said. .
Brazilian police said other people can use the fake inserts in the database to download the vaccination certificate to circumvent fitness restrictions imposed by the public government in Brazil and the United States between November 2021 and December 2022.
Bolsonaro had publicly proclaimed that he would not receive the COVID-19 vaccine. He visited the United States in late December and remained there until March.
Speaking to reporters outside his mansion, Bolsonaro said he surprised police and denied falsifying vaccination records.
Bolsonaro and his administration have been the subject of several investigations, one approved by Brazil’s Supreme Court over allegations that he tried to interfere with federal police.
Bolsonaro’s former justice minister, Anderson Torres, arrested in January as part of an insurrection investigation.
In 2021, the election said they were investigating Bolsonaro for threatening Brazilian democracy by making false accusations of voter fraud.