Brazil police accuse Bolsonaro of fraud in vaccine records

By Rodrigo Viga Gaier and Ricardo Brito

BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazil's federal police formally accused former President Jair Bolsonaro of fraud on his vaccination records, opening the door to criminal charges, according to a police report seen by Reuters on Tuesday and two people familiar with the matter.

An investigation by the country's comptroller general's office had already found that Bolsonaro's vaccination records were falsified to show he was vaccinated against COVID-19 in Sao Paulo in July 2021, when he was not in the city.

The sources, who requested anonymity to discuss an open case, said Bolsonaro was indicted on charges of entering false data into the country's public health system (SUS) and forming a criminal organization. One of his former aides, Mauro Cid, who was arrested in May as part of the investigation, was also formally accused in the police report, according to sources.

The former president told Reuters that he had not taken the COVID vaccine or done anything wrong: "It's a selective investigation. I'm calm," said Bolsonaro. "The world knows that I didn't take the vaccine."

During his tenure, Bolsonaro repeatedly downplayed the importance of immunization and social distancing measures during the pandemic, which killed more than 700,000 people in Brazil.

The police report accusing Bolsonaro of crimes paves the way for Brazil's prosecutor general to present criminal charges before the Supreme Court.

Bolsonaro has already been ruled politically ineligible until 2030 for spreading electoral misinformation during the 2022 election. Police recently seized his passport while probing his efforts to cling onto power after he lost to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the election.

Last week, the former heads of Brazil's army and air force confirmed that Bolsonaro discussed a draft decree to prevent the handover of power after the election.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier in Rio de Janeiro and Ricardo Brito in Brasilia; Writing by Peter Frontini; Editing by Steven Grattan, Brad Haynes and Daniel Wallis)