Brazilian Prosecutor General Dismisses Investigation into Bolsonaro’s Alleged Vaccine Certificate Fraud

 Brazil’s Prosecutor General, Paulo Gonet, has decided to drop the investigation into former President Jair Bolsonaro regarding allegations of falsifying COVID-19 vaccination records. 

The federal police had accused Bolsonaro and 16 others of inserting false information into public health databases to indicate vaccination against COVID-19, potentially to circumvent international travel restrictions.

Gonet cited insufficient evidence beyond allegations from a plea-bargain deal with Bolsonaro’s former aide, Mauro Cid, as the basis for his decision. This development follows a recent Supreme Court panel’s vote to put Bolsonaro on trial for allegedly conspiring to overthrow the government after his 2022 election defeat.

Bolsonaro has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the vaccine certificate case. The dismissal of this investigation removes one legal challenge for the former president, who remains under scrutiny in other ongoing cases.