Lawyer ties himself in knots over Bolsonaro jewels case

Jair Bolsonaro’s former aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid. Photo: Geraldo Magela/Agência Senado

The lawyer of Jair Bolsonaro’s former aide-de-camp contradicted himself several times in recent interviews about the possibility that his client would confess to his participation in the case of smuggling and selling jewels gifted by foreign governments, as well as pointing to the responsibility of the former president.

Cezar Bitencourt, lawyer of Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, told the weekly news magazine Veja that his client intended to confess to his crimes, including selling jewels in the U.S. and giving the money to his then boss, Mr. Bolsonaro. The story made it to the cover of the magazine, which hits newsstands early Friday.

A Federal Police operation last week revealed extensive evidence in the case. WhatsApp messages show that General Mauro Lorena Cid — Lt. Col. Cid’s father — sent his son photos of jewelry boxes containing gold sculptures of a boat and a tree, which were gifted to Mr. Bolsonaro during a visit to Bahrain. Gen. Cid’s reflection can be seen in one of the photos. At the time, Gen. Cid was working in the Miami office of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil).

The proceeds from the sales, the Federal Police said, were converted into cash, “without using the formal banking system.” The crimes under investigation include embezzlement and money laundering.

Lt. Col. Cid had been previously arrested by the Federal Police back in May on suspicion of defrauding Covid vaccine records, also for the benefit of Mr. Bolsonaro.

Veja published the audio recording of the interview with Mr. Bitencourt. He said that Lt. Col. Cid acted on Mr. Bolsonaro’s orders, that his client sent all the money from the sale to Mr. Bolsonaro, and that he would soon talk to Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes about the confession.

After speaking to Veja, however, Mr. Bitencourt contradicted himself in separate interviews with other media outlets. He now falsely claims that he did not say that his client followed Mr. Bolsonaro’s orders, and that Lt. Col. Cid “has initiative too,” in an attempt to backtrack from accusing Mr. Bolsonaro directly. He also now says that Lt. Col. Cid should only confess regarding the sale of a single Rolex watch, and not about “jewels,” even though he did not dispute the use of the word “jewels” in the plural form three times in the interview with Veja.

Mr. Bitencourt’s interview with Veja should be treated with skepticism in the first place, as clients that strike plea bargains usually do so discreetly and without notifying the press. For instance, not a single journalist in Brazil published anything about the major plea bargain signed by Élcio de Queiroz, charged in the Marielle Franco case, beforehand.