A damning congressional inquiry had recommended that Bolsonaro be charged with nine felonies, including crimes against humanity and quackery, for promoting bogus treatments such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin. The far-right president has consistently played down the severity of the pandemic, initially calling it “a little flu” and telling Brazilians to get back together because “we’re all going to die anyway.” Bolsonaro ignored early emails from Pfizer offering to sell vaccines in Brazil and was slow to accept an alternative in Brazil, wasting time that cost tens of thousands of lives. He also urged Brazilians not to stay at home and not to use masks, and his government launched a campaign called “Brazil cannot be stopped.” More people have died from Covid-19 in Brazil than in any other country except the US. The current death toll in the South American country stands at 676,964, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). A congressional inquiry into Bolsonaro’s handling of the pandemic concluded last October with recommendations that the president face a raft of charges, but a senior prosecutor, Lindôra Araujo, dropped five of the nine charges, leading senior lawmakers to call for an investigation her behavior. Seven senators also asked the high court to ignore its ruling as they vowed not to let Bolsonaro and his supporters off the hook. “Those who want to stop investigations into those crimes investigated by the Covid CPI will not be allowed to be quiet,” said Humberto Costa, one of the seven senators. The attorney general’s office said the evidence initially presented in the Covid investigation “did not contain the appropriate individual evidence” required to meet the legal criteria for criminal charges. He also said relevant documents were missing and there was no evidence linking the alleged crimes. He called Araujo’s decision strictly “legal,” while calling last year’s Covid investigation “political.” Other charges against Bolsonaro, his sons and more than 60 others are still pending, and it is not known when a decision will be made on whether to proceed with those charges. Whatever happens, Tuesday’s decision gives Bolsonaro a timely boost as he officially kicks off his re-election campaign. The 67-year-old former army chief is seeking a second four-year term in a vote to be held on October 2, but most polls show him trailing former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by double digits. The timing of the ruling was met with scorn by those who believe prosecutors are working with the government to save the president. Araujo, second in charge at the attorney general’s office, made news last year when she rejected calls to indict Bolsonaro for refusing to wear a mask, saying their effectiveness was questionable. The timing of her decision fueled suspicions that she was politically motivated. “This protection on the eve of the election surprises no one,” Senator Renan Calheiros tweeted.
