"Jewellery-gate": Misuse of Official Gifts / Money Laundering
What the allegations are
Key dates & milestones
- While serving as President of Brazil (2019-2022), Bolsonaro and his entourage are alleged to have received valuable gifts from foreign governments (notably the Saudi Arabian government) that should have been treated as official state gifts. Under Brazilian law, many of those gifts would belong to the presidency or state rather than to the individual.
- Investigators assert that some of these gifts were not properly declared or recorded in the official presidential collection, and were instead diverted for sale or personal gain.
- The alleged scheme: luxury items (diamond necklaces, rings, watches, earrings, luxury brand items) given as “gifts from states” were sold or intended to be sold abroad; the proceeds were converted into cash and incorporated into personal assets without using formal banking channels - which raises allegations of money-laundering and embezzlement.
- Key accusation: that Bolsonaro authorised or ordered aides to dispose of jewellery gifts (e.g., a Rolex watch, items from Swiss jeweller Chopard) and channel the proceeds back to him.
Key dates & milestones
- October 2021 – A set of jewellery, reportedly a diamond necklace, ring, watch and earrings gifted by the Saudi Arabian government to Bolsonaro and his wife during a trip, was seized by Brazilian customs at São Paulo’s Guarulhos airport in the backpack of an aide returning from Saudi Arabia.
- 7 March 2023 – The Brazilian Justice Minister (Flávio Dino) ordered a police probe into alleged undeclared jewellery gifts, particularly the Saudi-gifted items.
- 6 April 2023 – Bolsonaro testified in the investigation.
- 8 December 2023 – The technical body of Brazil’s federal audit court (Tribunal de Contas da União, TCU) issued an opinion recommending that the jewellery gifts and guns received by Bolsonaro (which had not been properly catalogued) be returned to the Presidency (i.e., treated as public/state property) rather than private property.
- 4 July 2024 – The federal police formally accused Bolsonaro of embezzlement, criminal association and money-laundering in connection with the jewellery case (valued at about US$3.2 million) and the misuse of official gifts.
- 9 July 2024 – Police claimed that a crime ring linked to Bolsonaro sold official luxury gifts worth roughly US$1.2 million.
Sources
Independent
Brazil's Bolsonaro accused by ex-aide's lawyer of ordering sale of jewelry given as official gift
India Today
Brazil investigates undeclared jewelry worth $3 million gifted to ex-President Bolsonaro