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Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro
Photo: Eraldo Peres / AP
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has dismissed an ally in the Senate - according to Brazilian media reports after the discovery of allegedly embezzled money in his underwear.
The dismissal comes from a publication in the government gazette, according to which Senator Francisco Rodrigues himself asked for it.
The PF Federal Police carried out a search and seizure warrant on Wednesday at Rodrigues, Senator for the state of Roraima and deputy chairman of the ruling faction in the Senate.
The PF's operation concerned public funds intended for the health sector against the coronavirus and allegedly diverted.
According to the Brazilian magazine "Crusoé", Rodrigues tried to hide around 30,000 reais, the equivalent of around 4500 euros, in cash - some of it in his underpants, "between the buttocks".
The renowned newspaper "Folha de S. Paulo" confirmed the report.
Rodrigues: "Never involved in scandals"
In a statement on social media, Rodrigues wrote that he believed in "human and divine justice".
The investigators had broken into his house, where he was only doing his job.
"I have a clean past and a decent life. I have never been involved in any scandals."
Last week, President Bolsonaro, who campaigned against corruption in the 2018 election campaign, said that the investigation into the largest corruption scandal in Latin America, "Lava Jato" (car wash), had lost its meaning in his government because there were no cases of corruption give.
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bah / dpa