Good morning! The Supreme Court wades into the Covaxin controversy. Unemployment could rise further as inactive workers rejoin the market. Brazil’s ailing creative economy. Is Brazil the world’s most polarized country?
Covid inquiry gets new lease of life from Covaxin scandal
The Covaxin scandal has given new life to the Senate’s Covid hearings committee. On Monday, members gathered enough signatures to extend the inquiry for another 90 days. Meanwhile, a group of senators submitted a request to investigate President Jair Bolsonaro for misconduct — as he allegedly failed to act when informed about irregularities involving the USD 300 million deal to purchase Covaxin vaccines.
Context. Last Friday, a congressman and a Health Ministry official said they had told Mr. Bolsonaro that the latter had been coerced into greenlighting the Covaxin deal, which the president allegedly described as “monkey business” from his House whip, Congressman Ricardo Barros (who has multiple links to health companies suspected of corruption).
Why it matters. The request was randomly assigned to Supreme Court Justice Rosa Weber, which does not bode well for the government.
- On Friday, she denied a request by Covaxin lobbyists in Brazil to overturn the Covid inquiry’s decision to access the company’s...