Former Brazilian President Distrusting Vaccines... "Indicted for Forging Vaccination Records"

Former President Jair Bolsonaro, who showed distrust toward the COVID-19 vaccine, has been indicted on charges of forging vaccine certificates.

On the 19th (local time), local media reported that the Brazilian Federal Police indicted former President Bolsonaro on these charges. The police had previously conducted investigations, including searching Bolsonaro's residence and seizing his mobile phone.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

According to records from the Brazilian Ministry of Health, former President Bolsonaro was vaccinated at a health center in S?o Paulo on July 19, 2021, but suspicions arose that false information was entered.

As a result of an investigation by the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts, it was announced that he was not in S?o Paulo on that date, and the serial number of the vaccine recorded was not from that health center.

The police believe that former President Bolsonaro manipulated the records because it became difficult for him to visit the United States without being vaccinated during the pandemic.

Bolsonaro, who served from 2019 to 2022, faced severe criticism for downplaying the risks of COVID-19 by calling it a "mild cold" and promoting the use of antiparasitic drugs whose effectiveness had not been proven.