Accounts court wants to scrutinize Bolsonaro’s personal spending

President Jair Bolsonaro and Pedro Guimarães CEO of Caixa, a public bank. Photo: Isac Nóbrega/PR

The deputy prosecutor-general within the Federal Accounts Court — a sort of audit tribunal which monitors public spending — wants to scrutinize President Jair Bolsonaro’s use of his government credit card. High-ranking officials in Brazil are entitled to a card (paid for by the public purse) to make expenditures related to their duties.

A recent report by weekly magazine Veja reveals that Mr. Bolsonaro’s credit card bills amount to over BRL 21 million (USD 4.3 million).

The administration had sealed the bills in a bid to prevent them from becoming public, a move the president said was necessary to protect his personal safety. Mr. Bolsonaro claims to live under the constant threat of assassination, after he was stabbed on the campaign trail in September 2018.

“The president’s expenses on food and leisure, as well as those of his inner circle, are extremely elevated, especially taking into account the general state of economic deterioration [the country is experiencing] and the spending of previous administrations,” said prosecutor Lucas Furtado.