As of: February 29, 2024, 4:58 p.m
By: Stefan Schmid
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Jair Bolsonaro's list of scandals is long, and now he has to face allegations of animal cruelty.
His lawyer has already been compared to Goebbels.
São Paulo – Fake vaccination certificates, insults against homosexuals, incitement to civil war and planned coup.
The list of actual and alleged scandals involving Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro is long and almost seems like a South American image of Donald Trump.
But he is not alone in this.
Argentina's new President Javier Milei is in no way inferior to Bolsonaro, at least when it comes to eccentricities.
The latest allegations against Bolsonaro almost seem as if he had presented them again just to be on the safe side.
Video purports to show Bolsonaro dangerously close to a humpback whale
As various US media reports with reference to the Brazilian news portal
G1
, Bolsonaro was questioned in São Paulo at the federal police headquarters.
The reason for this is the accusation of “harassment” of a humpback whale.
Bolsonaro is said to have come within 15 meters of the whale while riding a jet ski off the coast of São Sebastião in June 2023.
This is prohibited under Brazilian environmental protection law.
Motorized boats and jet skis are not allowed to come closer than 100 meters to whales and dolphins.
Violators face two to five years in prison or a fine.
However, the conviction of a Brazilian local politician showed that this can be extremely low.
In a similar case, according to
G1,
he only had to pay $500.
The investigation against Bolsonaro was initiated because incriminating evidence existed.
A video of a jet ski driver in close proximity to a surfacing humpback whale has probably been circulating on the Internet for a long time.
The driver was finally identified: Jair Bolsonaro.
The alleged Bolsonaro can also be seen in the video uploaded by
G1
with a smartphone in his hand.
Probably for private documentation purposes.
Bolsonaro's lawyer in a dual role
Bolsonaro's lawyer Fabio Wajngarten was also summoned on Tuesday (February 27).
Not only, but also in the function of his profession.
It is said to have been Wajngarten who recorded the video of the humpback whale encounter.
This means that Wajngarten not only has to defend Bolsonaro, but also himself.
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Wajngarten is considered a close confidant and advisor to Bolsonaro.
In 2019 he was appointed as special communications secretary in the Bolsonaro cabinet.
Not without making headlines soon.
Because of his demeanor and official practices, Wajngarten was
dubbed “The Goebbels of Planalto” by the Brazilian magazine
Istoé .
Jair Bolsonaro (right) next to his lawyer Fabio Wajngarten after a visit to the federal police in July 2023. © IMAGO / Fotoarena
A coup attempt trial is underway against Bolsonaro
One might think that Bolsonaro would gradually visit all the federal police stations in Brazil.
A few days ago, the former president had to appear at the federal police headquarters in Brasilia.
There he was questioned about the accusation that he had been involved in planning a coup.
The alleged goal of the coup: to keep Jair Bolsonaro in office after losing the presidential election.
This plan was not implemented, but Bolsonaro's supporters stormed the government district.
With all the politically serious dangers that emanate from Bolsonaro, the accusation of harassing a humpback whale is certainly just a side note.
However, this only seems to complement the overall picture of the ex-president.
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