Brazil's Attorney General defends Bolsonaro's criminal pronouncement.
Augusto Aras, the Attorney General appointed directly by Jair Bolsonaro, published an official statement affirming the legality of the President's national address, which has been the target of severe criticism worldwide.
247 - Brazil's Attorney General Augusto Aras said that Jair Bolsonaro did not commit a crime in his speech last Tuesday, the 24th. The statement dismissed the recommendation drafted by prosecutors against the Presidency.
A report from the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo It highlights that "in the official document, Aras states that there is no 'evidence of any possible criminal offense' on the part of the president in his address to the nation, in which he attacked the press, downplayed the spread of the coronavirus, and advocated for the reopening of businesses under a 'vertical isolation' scheme."
The official document continues: "In a critical environment marked by the recognition of the COVID-19 pandemic and the existence of scientific uncertainties that naturally arise from the exceptional circumstances experienced, it is not the role of the Public Prosecutor's Office to define the best strategy for implementing government action plans and health services appropriate to the Brazilian geopolitical and sociocultural circumstances."