Brasília: The Brazilian authorities announced Monday that they had opened an investigation to determine whether officials in the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro had illegally brought into the country jewelry presented by Saudi Arabia as a gift to him and his wife.
On Friday, the newspaper “O Estado de Sao Paulo” wrote that a delegation from Bolsonaro’s government tried, in October 2021, to bring jewelry worth $3.2 million into the country without declaring it to customs, but this smuggling attempt failed.
She added that the customs agents found these jewelry inside the bag of a government employee while he was returning from an official trip to the Middle East.
According to the newspaper, these jewelry (a necklace, ring, watch and two earrings) were a gift from the Saudi government to Michelle Bolsonaro, the wife of the former president.
The newspaper quoted Benito Albuquerque, who was Minister of Mines and Energy in Bolsonaro's government, as saying that a second set of jewelry, including a watch and a fountain pen from the Swiss luxury brand Chopard, had been brought into Brazil without customs knowing about it.
In response to this information, the Tax Directorate said in a statement on Monday that it would take “all necessary measures” if these facts were confirmed.
In its statement, the Tax Directorate stated that “failing to declare and not pay the fees” resulting from the entry of such jewelry and valuables “constitutes a violation of the customs law.”
In turn, the Federal Police in the state of Sao Paulo announced on Monday that, at the request of Justice Minister Flavio Dino, it had opened an investigation on suspicion of “illegal import” of jewelry.
On Saturday, Bolsonaro denied that he had done any "illegal" action.
"They accuse me of a gift that I did not ask for and did not get," the far-right former president said in an interview with CNN Brasil.
Brazilian law stipulates that if any passenger enters the country with goods worth more than a thousand dollars, he must declare these goods and pay the tax due on them.
On the other hand, any commodity, regardless of its value, can be entered without paying any duty on it, provided that it is declared as an official gift to the state. But in this case, the jewelry becomes owned by the state and Bolsonaro and his wife cannot have it after the term ends. (AFP)
Parliamentarians: Britain's stock of ammunition has decreased "dangerously" due to the Ukraine war
LONDON: British parliamentarians have warned that rebuilding Britain's dwindling munitions stockpile after the war in Ukraine could take at least a decade, putting Britain's national security at risk.
And the British BA Media agency quoted the House of Commons Defense Committee as saying that Britain and other allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have allowed their ammunition reserves to drop to “dangerous levels” as they seek to keep Kiev supplied with ammunition in its struggle against the Russian invasion. .
The panel said the way Western governments procure weapons was "disproportionate to purpose" and urged the Defense Department to put in place an action plan to reduce the time needed to restore stock levels.
"It is clear that the UK and its NATO allies have allowed ammunition stocks to be reduced to dangerously low levels," she added.
She added, "While Russia is also facing a decreasing stockpile, other adversaries can maintain and possibly increase their stocks."
"The UK's inability to restore stock levels jeopardizes not only our ability to resupply Ukraine but also to counter any threat to our security," the committee said. (dpa)
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