Dispute Over Mysterious Saudi Jewelry Worth $3 Million Haunts Bolsonaro
- Bolsonaro ally entered Brazil with undeclared jewels: reports
- Brazil authorities, Saudi Arabia are investigating case
Jair Bolsonaro
Photographer: Al Drago/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A dispute over $3 million worth of jewelry allegedly from Saudi Arabia is set to present another headache for former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro when he returns home from his US vacation.
Brazil’s national comptroller on Tuesday started probing the case, which involves a cache of jewelry — including a diamond necklace, earrings and a watch made by the Swiss brand Chopard. Bolsonaro’s former Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque confirmed over the weekend that his delegation brought the items into the country — now run by leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva — as a gift from the Saudi government to Bolsonaro and his wife, Michelle, without declaring them to customs agents.