Shortly after the tax auditors seized, in October 2021, at Guarulhos airport, the jewels donated by the Saudi regime to Mr and Mrs Bolsonaro, the team of former Minister of Mines and Energy Bento Albuquerque called the federal department of revenue of Brasilia to try to free the goods. The jewels worth around 16.5 million reais were in the luggage of an assistant to the former minister and had not been declared upon the international landing in São Paulo, as revealed by Estadão.
Bento Albuquerque was still at the airport when the head of the Revenue Agency, commanded by the then secretary José Tostes, was called by the team of the then minister with the reasoning that there was a problem at customs that could have delayed the connection of the Bento flight. At that moment Sandro Serpa, who was Undersecretary of Revenue, received a telephone call from the former minister’s chief of staff, Rear Admiral José Roberto Bueno Junior.
The link is a new piece of evidence that members of the Bolsonaro government have been trying to pressure tax authorities to release diamonds intended for first lady Michelle Bolsonaro and her husband.
To the StadiumSerpa said that in the call, Bueno said there was a “problem in Guarulhos” involving the minister’s entourage’s luggage and referred to a “gift” that could delay the connection to his next flight, which will continue for Brasilia.
The former minister’s chief of cabinet said that, at that moment, there were no mayors to be present at customs, which Serpa said was surprised, given that the employees of the Revenue Agency work non-stop in shifts 24 hours, every day of the week.
On the day of the seizure in Garulhos, the undersecretary of revenue for taxation said that after receiving a call from assistant minister Bento, he contacted the then superintendent of revenue for the 8th fiscal region of São Paulo, José Roberto Mazarin. “I was concerned about the information that the minister would miss his flight due to an alleged non-compliance by the Revenue Agency. This was the main reason I called the superintendent,” he said.
According to Serpa’s account, Mazarin later returned to report that a set of jewelry with an initial value of $265,000 had been seized. At that moment, the Undersecretary even received a photo of the jewels sent by the São Paulo Revenue Agency.
The former tax undersecretary reports that he was surprised by what he saw in the photo and that he understood that the Revenue Agency had done its job. According to him, the next day he communicated to the then special secretary of revenue, José Tostes, what had happened. Tostes’ response was that he “already knew” what had happened. Tostes lost his job 37 days after the kidnapping.
Serpa communicated that it had not investigated the subject further, because the subject was not its area of expertise in the Revenue Agency, but the customs sector. He attributes being the first contacted because he knew Bento Albuquerque and José Roberto Bueno when the three worked at the Brazilian embassy in Washington at the same time.
As revealed the Stadium, Bento Albuquerque and his adviser, Marcos André dos Santos Soeiro, landed in Guarulhos on October 26, 2021 on Flight 773. Upon arrival, Soeiro was selected for baggage inspection, when inspectors detected a set of jewels worth 3 million euros (R $ 16.5 million). Bento passed without being searched. The two communicated to the tax authorities that they had nothing to declare in their luggage. It was when Soeiro’s luggage was searched and the jewels were discovered.
The Bolsonaro government has called at least three ministries to try to release the jewels at the end of his term. The right hand of President Jair Bolsonaro, Colonel Mauro Cid, tried to take the box containing a necklace, earrings and a diamond ring from the Chopard luxury store from the Guarulhos Federal Revenue. The operation ended up being blocked by tax officials who did not agree to deliver the goods that should have been declared patrimony of the Union.
The president’s defense argues that the jewels are part of the share of gifts the CEO receives during his term and can be taken home as personal items. A 2016 decision by the Federal Court of Auditors indicates the opposite of what Bolsonaro claims. Gifts of limited value, such as jewelry, are part of the Union collection. They remain in government custody after the president’s term ends and cannot be considered personal property.
The information comes from the newspaper The State of São Paulo.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
