Bento Albuquerque is formally under investigation in the illegal jewelry case.
Brazilian Federal Police have already collected more than 13 testimonies in the investigation into the illegal entry of Saudi jewels into Brazil.
247 - Bento Albuquerque, former Minister of Mines and Energy in Jair Bolsonaro's government, is now formally under investigation in the Federal Police (PF) inquiry into the undeclared entry of Saudi jewelry into Brazil. With the progress of the investigations and more than 13 testimonies collected by the PF, Albuquerque has gone from being a witness to being investigated.
In his previous testimony in March, he claimed that the jewelry was sent "without a specific recipient" and that he received it in his capacity as a representative of the Brazilian government, without knowing who the final recipients would be. He also stated that he did not know the gifts were jewelry.
In an interview with the newspaper "O Estado de S. Paulo," however, the former minister said that the first delivery would be for Michelle Bolsonaro and the second for Jair Bolsonaro. Albuquerque's defense declined to comment on the change in his status in the investigation.