Jair Bolsonaro and Gulf states: a jewel of a friendship

For the past week, the Brazilian press and politicians have been discussing a series of new details in a dazzling scandal: the Jair Bolsonaro administration made several attempts to smuggle more than USD 3.1 million worth of jewelry into Brazil. The items were given by the government of Saudi Arabia, allegedly to former First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro.

Newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo revealed that a Brazilian delegation led by then-Mines and Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque returned from Saudi Arabia in October 2021 with a case containing a necklace, a watch, a pair of earrings, and a ring, as well as a gold horse sculpture about 30 centimeters long.

The case was spotted by customs authorities at São Paulo’s Guarulhos Airport, in the backpack of an aide to Mr. Albuquerque. The delegation did not record it as an official gift to the Brazilian government, which would make the jewelry government property. Nor did the aide carrying the items declare them to customs.

It is still unclear whether the Saudi government intended for the jewels to be an official gift or not. A photo of the 2021 meeting recently surfaced showing Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman Al Saud handing the horse sculpture to his Brazilian counterpart. However, a press release from the ministry at the time did not mention any gifts. The Saudi embassy in Brasília has remained silent on the issue. 

The Mines and Energy Ministry told The Brazilian Report that the photo is not in its files and was “probably” personally taken by a member of the delegation.

If it ever reached the Bolsonaro family, the gift would be hugely significant. The jewels were valued at BRL 16.5 million. In his 2022 re-election campaign, Mr. Bolsonaro declared a net worth of about 14 percent of that value: BRL 2.3 million (USD 440,000). 

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