Good morning! We’re covering the continuing investigation into Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the president’s eldest son. Economy Minister Paulo Guedes’ obsession with a new tax. And how the gig economy is destroying Brazilian unions. (This newsletter is for platinum subscribers only. Become one now!)
Bolsonaro in trouble over son investigation
Rio de Janeiro state prosecutors launched a new stage of a probe into money-laundering schemes allegedly headed by Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, President Jair Bolsonaro’s eldest son. Search and seizure warrants were carried out in addresses linked to the senator—even including the house of one of the president’s ex-wives.
The scheme. During his years as a Rio state lawmaker, Flávio Bolsonaro is suspected of running a rudimentary—and frankly common—corruption scheme, in which his staffers were forced to surrender part of their salaries to Mr. Bolsonaro. In some cases, employees would hand in over 90 percent of their paychecks. The scheme would be operated by Fabrício Queiroz, a militia-linked ex-cop who served as Flávio Bolsonaro’s advisor
Why it matters. This case could become bigger due to the several links between the people involved and the president himself. This is how Jair Bolsonaro is directly affected:
- Before being Flávio Bolsonaro’s chief of staff,...