Brazil’s Supreme Court Reopens Investigation Against Jair Bolsonaro for Alleged Interference in Federal Police

Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court authorized on Thursday the reopening of an investigation against former President Jair Bolsonaro, which seeks to determine whether the far-right ex-leader engaged in political and illegal interference in the Federal Police during his administration.

The reopening of the judicial inquiry was ordered by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, a member of the nation’s highest court, following a request made Wednesday by Attorney General Paulo Gonet. The chief prosecutor questioned the decision of his predecessor, who in March 2022 had closed the case against Bolsonaro, citing a supposed lack of evidence.

The investigation was originally launched in April 2020, after former judge and current senator Sergio Moro resigned from his position as Minister of Justice, claiming that Bolsonaro had attempted to exert unlawful influence over the Federal Police. The former ally of the far-right leader accused Bolsonaro of pressuring for changes in the agency’s top command in order to interfere in ongoing investigations.

According to Moro, the president sought to shield two of his sons—Senator Flavio Bolsonaro and city councilman Carlos Bolsonaro—who were under Federal Police investigation for corruption. The senator stated that such pressures were “explicit” during a meeting held on April 22, 2020, just days before his resignation, and that the meeting was recorded on video.

In his submission to the Supreme Court, Attorney General Gonet argued that new evidence justified the need to determine whether “undue interference” in the Federal Police had indeed taken place.

Jair Bolsonaro, currently under house arrest, was sentenced in September to 27 years and three months in prison for leading a plot to stage a coup d’état after losing the 2022 elections to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The far-right leader is also under investigation by the Federal Police for allegedly misappropriating jewelry valued at $1.2 million, received as official gifts during trips to Saudi Arabia, which should have been included in the state’s official assets.