Bolsonaro’s House whip implicated in Covaxin scandal

On Friday, after nearly two months in session, the Senate’s hearings committee investigating the government’s pandemic response held its most anticipated session. And unlike previous testimonies that promised fireworks but ended up falling flat, this time the depositions delivered. 

Brothers Luis Miranda, a congressman, and Luis Roberto Miranda, a senior Health Ministry official, detailed “abnormal” pressure put on the latter to greenlight a USD 300 million deal for 20 million doses of India’s Covaxin. This was despite glaring doubts about the Covid-19 vaccine’s efficacy, its higher price, and longer estimated delivery times. Speaking to senators, the brothers put Congressman Ricardo Barros, Jair Bolsonaro’s whip in the House, at the center of the scandal.

The brothers claim to have warned the president about shady aspects of the deal in a meeting late in March, to which Mr. Bolsonaro is said to have responded by dismissing the claims as Mr. Barros’ “monkey business.”

While not exactly “bringing down the Republic,” as Congressman Miranda anticipated they would, the revelations increase the committee’s pressure on the government to a previously unseen level — and places Mr. Bolsonaro bang at the center of the investigation. His administration will now be accused of trying to enrich itself as Brazilians died in their thousands every day. The hearing’s previous line of attack was to accuse him of mounting a negligent and insufficient pandemic strategy.

The revelations come as Mr. Bolsonaro’s approval ratings fall to their lowest level on record and his nemesis, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, leads in polls by over 20 points.

The new accusations, combined with a disadvantageous electoral scenario, could lead the group known as the “Big Center” to rethink its allegiances. The federation of mildly-conservative groups has...