Bolsonaro Faces Firestorm as Brazil Buries COVID-19 Victims in Mass Grave …Judge Orders Seizure of President’s Phone

Adeyinka Olaiya, Editor-at-Large, Sao Paulo/

Brazil is facing political turmoil sparked by COVID-19 pandemic as the country becomes the second most infected after the United States of America.

With 363 211 reported cases and 22 666 deaths as of today, authorities in Brazil are burying victims in mass graves because the existing burial grounds are filled up.

The development has triggered a political firestorm, and the judiciary has moved against the President.

As tension mounts, the Supreme Court of Brazil has ordered the immediate seizure of the Cellphone of President Jair Messiahs Bolsonaro.

Justice Celso de Mello of the highest court of law in Brazil has issued a judicial dispatch at the weekend after going through the video of the ministerial meeting held in the presidential palace on April 21 featuring discussions by the President of the Federal Republic of Brazil and his interest to further interfere in the activities of the country’s Federal Police investigative proceedings against his possible political allies and the possibilities to eventually executing a military intervention if need be.

The Supreme Court through an injunction required the Chief Prosecutor of the federation to forward the judicial request to the legislative council seeking for formal approval to execute the apprehension of the personal cellular handset of the President of the country for analysis and proper investigation regarding the accusations against him in all his recent WhatsApp calls and messages.

The President, elected two years ago, is considered by many as anti-science for not applying, nor respecting the recommendations of the World Health Organization and the health scientists in the country to efficiently battle the COVID-19 outbreak in Brasil. This attitude has led to the resignation of two health ministers who refused to rebel against the determinations of health sciences towards the combat of COVID-19 in the country.

To this extent, the President who was also a former military captain has threatened the security of the nation with a possible military intervention if the autonomy bestowed on the three organs of the government is not observed by the Supreme Court that appears to have been a thorn in his flesh.  

The Supreme Court has also ordered that the country’s minister for education, Dr Weistrup be prosecuted for demanding the closure and the arrest of all the judges in the Supreme Court while addressing members at a ministerial meeting in the presidential palace.

In a national television broadcast, the President warned that his office would not respect nor release his personal telephone handsets to the police for investigation as demanded by the Supreme Court judge.

He also warned that if the court should eventually insist on his arrest for his refusal, and as demanded by the Justice Celso Mello of the Supreme Court, the President and his member of staff would do and apply all it takes to remain in power.

The former Minister of Justice, Sergio Moro, an ex-judge who jailed some corrupt leaders in Brazil, said, “This president is a threat to Brazil and to humanity. I have done my part as a good citizen by not collaborating with the ideas of the government; by resigning as his minister and also presenting sufficient proofs for the Supreme Court to take proper action against this government before it is too late.”

The former judge, however, described the presidents less interest in combating the Covid-19 in Brazil as another good reason to impeach him as quickly as possible.

According to the World Health Organization, Brazil is becoming uncontrollable, the deaths for COVID-19 is extrapolating, the President must listen and adapt to science.

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