'Jewel thief' Bolsonaro among 12 people charged over alleged embezzlement in Brazil

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's legal troubles escalated dramatically Thursday as he and 11 others were charged with embezzlement and other crimes in connection with the alleged misappropriation of diamond jewelry and other state assets received as gifts from the Saudi and Bahraini monarchies during the right-wing leader's presidency.

Capital Letter Brazilian federal police have charged Jair Bolsonaro with embezzlement, money laundering and criminal conspiracy. If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 25 years in prison. Bolsonaro maintains his innocence.

Eleven other people have also been charged in the case, including former Mines and Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque and Bolsonaro’s former personal adviser, Lt. Col. Mauro Cid. Brazilian Attorney General Jorge Messias’ office must now decide whether to prosecute those indicted at the federal level.

Authorities say Jair Bolsonaro failed to properly record high-value gifts from the Saudi and Bahraini governments toward the end of his presidential term. Those items were later sold in the United States by the president's inner circle.

During his visit to Saudi Arabia in October 2019, the Saudi monarchy presented Jair Bolsonaro with a white gold kit containing a diamond-encrusted Rolex watch. This watch and another luxury Swiss watch, a Patek Philippe, were later allegedly sold at a Pennsylvania mall.

This diamond-encrusted Rolex watch (left) is part of the white gold kit (right) allegedly sold by Bolsonaro associates in the United States. (Photo: Brazilian Federal Police)

During a trip to Saudi Arabia in October 2021, Albuquerque received a rose gold kit containing a watch, cufflinks, a pen, a ring and an Islamic rosary made by Chopard and failed to properly declare the gift upon his return to Brazil. Investigators say the kit was then taken on an official flight on which Jair Bolsonaro was a passenger and was later auctioned in New York.

The profits from the sale of the undeclared goods, which investigators estimate to be worth more than $1 million, were pocketed by the accused individuals.

Army General Mauro Lourena Cid, father of Bolsonaro's personal assistant Lt. Col. Mauro Cid, reportedly kept jewelry and sculptures received by Bolsonaro at the end of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce business seminar in Manama, Bahrain, in November 2021.

This photo shows some of the diamond jewelry cited in the Brazilian federal police indictment against former President Jair Bolsonaro and 11 others.(Photo: Brazilian Federal Police)

Police have recommended criminal charges against the younger Cid, who signed a plea deal. Cid's lawyer has said his client was following orders from Bolsonaro, an allegation the former president denies.

The GlobeJair Bolsonaro reportedly stored 175 boxes containing numerous gifts at a property owned by former Formula 1 driver Nelson Piquet. While some of the gifts have been deemed the president's legitimate property, other items given to Jair Bolsonaro while he was carrying out his official presidential duties legally belong to the state.

This is the second set of federal criminal charges against Bolsonaro, who was indicted federally in March for allegedly falsifying his Covid-19 vaccination records and for conspiracy to commit crimes in a case that could carry a prison sentence of 12 to 16 years if he is fully convicted.

Bolsonaro, who denies any wrongdoing, is also banned from holding political office for eight years because of his alleged abuse of power linked to baseless allegations of fraud in the 2022 presidential election.

A 2023 Brazilian congressional investigation also found that Bolsonaro was the “intellectual and moral author of a coup movement” that culminated in the January 8, 2023 attacks on government buildings, and he and dozens of his supporters should be criminally charged for their “deliberate coup attempt.”

Bolsonaro's autocratic actions have been compared to those of former US President Donald Trump, earning him the nickname “Trump of the Tropics” long ago. Bolsonaro fled to the United States after the January 2023 attacks and the inauguration of leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who defeated him in the second round of the 2022 presidential election.

“Bolsonaro the jewel thief” began trending on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, after Thursday’s indictments.

“Today is a great day for people who believe in justice,” said a city councilor from the Socialism and Liberty party in Belo Horizonte.