Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is under investigation after he allegedly ‘harassed’ a humpback whale while riding a personal jetski off Sao Paulo’s coast.
Bolsonaro appeared at the federal police in Sao Paulo on Tuesday to meet with officers, along with his lawyer and former adviser, who was also present at the time of the alleged incident.
In a video from June last year that circulated on social media, a man is seen riding a personal jetski close to a whale, seemingly recording the encounter with a mobile phone.
Federal prosecutors, who are also investigating the case, said the man appeared to be Bolsonaro.
Under Brazilian legislation, motored vessels must keep a minimum distance of 100 metres from whales and other cetaceans. Any intentional attempt to get closer can lead to a sentence of up to two to five years in prison and a fine.
The man on the personal jetski seemed to be about 15 metres from the animal, prosecutors said last year.
In a June 2023 video that circulated on social media, a man is seen riding a personal watercraft close to a whale, seemingly recording the encounter with a a mobile phone
The investigation is just one of the many legal headaches the former far-right leader is facing. Last week, officers in the capital, Brasilia, questioned Bolsonaro for allegedly plotting a coup, in an attempt to remove his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, from power
Legal experts say that if police can prove that Bolsonaro intentionally approached the whale, he risked a fine at most. According to online news site G1, a local politician found guilty on similar charges and in the same location was fined 2,500 reais (£397).
For Bolsonaro’s large base, the case is yet another example that their former leader is being politically persecuted — an argument he has often made since leaving office.
It is just one of the many legal headaches that he is facing.
Since leaving office a year ago, Bolsonaro has been banned from running for office until 2030, investigated for plotting a coup to remove his successor from power and stripped of his passport.
Last week, officers in the capital, Brasilia, questioned Bolsonaro for allegedly plotting a coup, in an attempt to remove his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, from power. Bolsonaro, whose passport was seized in a previous police operation, chose to remain silent.
Supreme Court documents show that investigators believe that Bolsonaro and some of his aides, including former ministers and top military advisers, prepared a decree that would have declared the 2022 election vote fraudulent, had Bolsonaro lost the election to his leftist opponent, Lula.
The man trailing the humpback whale in the video as it flipped its tale out of the water. Federal prosecutors, who are also investigating the case, said the man appeared to be Bolsonaro
The man on a jetski pursuing the whale. Under Brazilian legislation, motored vessels must keep a minimum distance of 100 meters from whales and other cetaceans
The decree also planned for the arrest of a Supreme Court justice and the convening of a new election. Bolsonaro lost, but the decree was never issued, and the alleged plan was never set into action.
Bolsonaro was also ruled ineligible to run for office until 2030 by a panel of judges, who concluded that he had abused his power and cast unfounded doubts on the country’s electronic voting system.
Last year, Bolsonaro, his wife and close aides had to face investigators’ questions in yet another case, after an attempt to sneak in diamond jewellery reportedly worth $3 million (£2.4 million) and the sale of two luxury watches Bolsonaro received as gifts from Saudi Arabia while in office.
Police are also investigating the nation’s intelligence agency and alleged spying on Bolsonaro’s political opponents during his term, which ended in December 2022.
Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing.
On Sunday, thousands of Brazilians poured into the streets of Sao Paulo after Bolsonaro called for a show of support as he faces accusations he plotted a coup to stay in power.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (pictured) sings the national anthem during a rally in Sao Paulo
Bolsonaro and some of his former top aides are under investigation into allegations they plotted a coup to remove his successor, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva
Dressed in the green and yellow of Brazil’s flag, which the ex-president claimed as a symbol while in office, an immense crowd of his supporters thronged Paulista Avenue, one of the main arteries in the country’s economic capital.
Bolsonaro arrived waving the Israeli flag – a rejection of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s remarks comparing Israel’s offensive in Gaza to the Holocaust – before putting his hand to his chest for the national anthem.
The 68-year-old former army officer had urged his backers to attend a ‘peaceful rally in defense of the democratic rule of law’.
The police have seized Bolsonaro’s passport as he and his inner circle face scrutiny over plans to try to remain in power after he lost 2022 elections to Lula.
The far-right former president has denied the accusations and he refused to answer questions during a half-hour interrogation on Thursday last week at federal police headquarters in the city of Brasilia.