Brazil Senate committee calls for Bolsonaro charges
A Brazilian Senate committee approved a report on Tuesday that calls for an indictment of President Jair Bolsonaro for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
It includes crimes against humanity and eight other charges.
The rapporteur of the report, Senator Renan Calheiros, said, "The chaos of Jair Bolsonaro's government will enter history as the lowest level of human destitution.”
The more than 1,300 page report, which took the committee over six months to prepare, alleges nearly 80 other people and two companies committed crimes.
Among those in the firing line was the governor of interior Amazonas state, Wilson Lima, who’s been accused of corruption related to the purchasing of medical equipment.
Earlier this year, hospitals in the state lacked oxygen supplies, which resulted in deaths by asphyxia.
A draft of the report originally called for Bolsonaro to be indicted for genocide and murder, but senators later decided to drop those charges.
The President’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It's unlikely he'll face any formal charges, as they'd have to be brought by Brazil's prosecutor general, a seat Bolsonaro appointed.
The president has previously dismissed the Senate investigation as a "joke."
