Brazilian Federal Police Launch Major Operation Targeting Alleged Falsification of COVID-19 Vaccine Cards by Former President Jair Bolsonaro

Brazil’s Federal Police conducted a major operation on Wednesday, searching former President Jair Bolsonaro’s home in Brasilia and seizing his phone as part of an investigation into alleged falsification of COVID-19 vaccine cards.

The police said they were serving 16 search and seizure warrants and six preventive arrest warrants in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro as part of the operation. Mauro Cid, one of Bolsonaro’s closest allies, was arrested.

The Federal Police said the “false data” were allegedly added to the database between November and December 2020. Several other locations were also searched and a half dozen people faced arrest.

Bolsonaro was questioned at Federal Police headquarters and his phone was seized. The police said the investigation was ongoing and that they were still determining the scope of the alleged fraud.

The Brazilian government has been struggling to contain the spread of the virus and the operation comes as the country is in the midst of its worst wave of the pandemic. The government has been pushing for more people to get vaccinated and the alleged fraud could have undermined the effort.