Target of operation, Bolsonaro testifies to the Federal Police this Wednesday.

247 - Lawyer Paulo Cunha Bueno, who defends Jair Bolsonaro (PL), stated that his client “will exercise the right to remain silent” in the testimony he must give to the Federal Police (PF) this Wednesday (3). The hearing was initially scheduled to take place at 10 am, but was postponed due to the warrants within the scope of Operation Vanire still being served by the PF.

Bolsonaro was the target of a search and seizure warrant issued by Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes as part of the investigation. Operation VenireThis is an investigation into the actions of a group that allegedly inserted false Covid-19 vaccination data into the Ministry of Health's systems. According to the column by journalist [name missing]. Monica BergamoIn an interview with Folha de S. Paulo, Cunha Bueno stated that the former president is being "coerced into remaining silent" due to the "absurdity" of the Federal Police executing a search and seizure warrant at his home at 7 a.m. and then scheduling a deposition for hours later, "without his lawyers having had access to the case files."

"I am a lawyer who rarely advises a client to exercise the right to remain silent, which everyone has," he said. "But wanting to create pressure, not allowing the defense to see the case files before the person testifies, leaves us no other option," he added. According to the lawyer, the facts investigated by Operation Venire are not contemporaneous, as required by law for a search and seizure operation to be carried out.

Operation Venire executed 16 search and seizure warrants and six arrest warrants. Among those arrested were Bolsonaro's former aide, Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, military police officer Max Guilherme, and Army officer Sérgio Cordeiro, security guards who served during Bolsonaro's term and also accompanied him to the United States when he left the country two days before his term ended.