MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Money laundering charges filed against Bolsonaro's son Jair Renan

Jair Renan Bolsonaro obtained a loan from the Santander Bank which was not paid back

Brasilia's Public Prosecutor's Office of the Federal District and Territories (MPDFT) has filed a complaint against Jair Renan Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, for the crimes of money laundering, ideological falsehood, and use of false documents, Agencia Brasil reported. The arraignment is a result of the Federal District Civil Police's Operation Nexus probe.

According to the investigators, Jair Renan allegedly forged the financial results of his company Bolsonaro Jr. Eventos e Mídia to obtain a loan from the Santander bank, which was not paid back. The criminal complaint in the case is under seal. The financial institution also filed a lawsuit to collect the debt and obtained a favorable decision for the payment of R$ 360,000 (US$ 72,350 at the current exchange rate).

The indictment points out that the turnover of Renan's company was inflated to R$ 4 million (US$ 800,000). The MPDFT said it had filed a statement in the case and was awaiting a court decision. If the complaint is accepted, criminal proceedings will begin.

In February, the PCDF turned in its final report which singled out Jair Renan and his shooting instructor Maciel Alves, who has also been indicted for the same crimes.

Jair Renan's lawyer Admar Gonzaga criticized the leaking of the indictment to the press. “These leaks have caused the so-called strepitus fori, which is very damaging to the defense, to due process, to the presumption of innocence, and thus to the image of those who have the right to defend themselves,” he argued.

Strepitus fori stands for the embarrassment caused by the process itself, the mere existence of which already has negative effects on the person under investigation. “Society loses the status of legality and humanity with this situation. We need to evolve,” the counselor added.

The shooting instructor's defense would not comment on the case.