💉 Bolsonaro dodges the jab

Bolsonaro gets a legal victory. Inflation will stick around in 2025. And the Workers’ Party’s defiance in the face of falling popularity

Author

Gustavo Ribeiro
March 28, 2025 • Reading Time: 3 minutes

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Bolsonaro’s Vaccinegate gets slammed shut

Bolsonaro was arguably Brazil’s highest-profile anti-vax activist during the pandemic. Photo: Antonio Scorza/Shutterstock

Bolsonaro was arguably Brazil’s highest-profile anti-vax activist during the pandemic. Photo: Antonio Scorza/Shutterstock

Paulo Gonet, Brazil’s prosecutor general, on Thursday recommended closing an investigation into former President Jair Bolsonaro over his alleged falsification of Covid vaccination records, citing insufficient evidence.

👉 Why it matters. The move marked a legal victory for Bolsonaro, coming just one day after the country’s Supreme Court ruled he must stand trial for allegedly orchestrating a coup plot to remain in power following his defeat in the 2022 election.

The case. In March 2024, Brazil’s Federal Police had recommended criminal charges against Bolsonaro and others for allegedly tampering with public records to create fraudulent vaccination certificates. Authorities said the falsified documents were issued for Bolsonaro, his teenage daughter, Laura, and several senior officials in his administration.

  • Had he been tried and convicted on all counts, Bolsonaro would have faced a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

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