Good morning! Brazil gearing up for another explosive day in the Senate’s pandemic inquiry. Could Bolsonaro fully unite the left and right in opposition to his government? Petrobras makes massive stock offering. Job market struggles.
All eyes on the Senate once more
The Senate’s Covid hearings committee will question Luiz Paulo Dominguetti Pereira today, who on Tuesday told newspaper Folha de S.Paulo that the Health Ministry’s former logistics director asked him for a bribe in order to approve the purchase of 400 million AstraZeneca vaccines.
- Mr. Pereira’s deposition was originally scheduled for tomorrow, but the committee brought it forward and postponed the testimony of businessman Francisco Maximiano, a key piece in another vaccine scandal. His company, Precisa Medicamentos, acted as a middle-man for the government’s highly suspect USD 300 million deal for 20 million Covaxin doses.
- The decision came after the Supreme Court granted Mr. Maximiano the right to remain silent in order not to incriminate himself. To avoid having a quiet session, the committee postponed Mr. Maximiano’s appearance — which was celebrated by Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who has ties to the shady businessman.
Why it matters. The hearings committee believes Senator Bolsonaro, the president’s eldest son, took part in negotiations...