MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolsonaro undergoes 3 surgical procedures successfully

It was the sixth time Bolsonaro was operated on since the knifing

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro successfully underwent surgery at the Vila Nova Star Hospital Tuesday to treat the sequelae in his digestive and respiratory systems from the stabbing he suffered during the 2018 campaign, it was reported in Sao Paulo.

The perpetrator was identified as Adélio Bispo de Oliveira, 40, who told the police he had acted following “God's command.”

The retired Army captain had a septoplasty (correction of a deviated septum), a turbinectomy (removal of part of the nasal turbinates), and a uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (removal of tonsils and fragments of the soft palate), according to a Vila Nova release. “The surgeries passed satisfactorily, without complications, and the patient is already in recovery in the room,” the health center said in a statement.

“Everything went well in the surgical procedures. Thanks to our God and the prayers of all of you, Jair is recovering,” former First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro said on Instagram.

In recent years, Bolsonaro, 68, went through several surgeries and other interventions in the abdominal region. It was the sixth time he was operated on since the knifing, which perforated his intestine and caused various sequelae in his digestive tract, such as intestinal obstructions, hernias, and tissue adhesions.

After leaving office, Bolsonaro faces several investigations in addition to his 8-year disenfranchisement by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) for having misinformed about the country's electronic voting system. The Bolsonaros are also the target of an inquiry into the alleged diversion of jewelry and other official gifts received during his administration (2019-2022).

According to local media, the jewelry diversions began in mid-2022 and ended earlier this year when Bolsonaro spent three months in the United States.

In addition to the jewelry scandal, Bolsonaro is being investigated for the mega-case of the attempted coup d'état of January 8 last year perpetrated by Bolsonaristas. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said last weekend from India -where he was attending the G20 Summit- that Bolsonaro was “up to his teeth” in the failed coup d'état.

“Every day, things come to light and, every day, we'll be sure that there was the prospect of a coup and that the former president was involved to the teeth. That's what will become clear,” said Lula when commenting on the plea bargain agreement reached by Bolsonaro's former aide-de-camp Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid on Sept. 9 and through which the military officer shed further details to the prosecution, which have not been disclosed. “I don't know what's in it. Only the delegate who heard it and the colonel who gave evidence know. The rest is speculation,” Lula said while blaming his predecessor “for some of the bad things that have happened in our country.”