Last week, a decision by Brazil’s Supreme Court on a case concerning the president’s son has halted most of the country’s money laundering investigations. The decision threatens one of the most important investigative tools against corruption and leaves Brazil at odds with the international anti-money laundering regime.
The son of President Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio Bolsonaro, has been the subject of financial intelligence reports produced by the Brazilian financial intelligence unit — the Council of Control of Financial Activities (COAF).
These reports, leaked to the media earlier this year, reveal that Flávio Bolsonaro received 48 cash deposits made on five days in a one-month period. The total worth of these deposits was close to 100,000 reais (US$27,000).