Bolsonaro says that electing Lula is “redirecting criminal to the place of crime”

The Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, affirmed this Wednesday that the possible victory of the ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the presidential elections next October in Brazil it would mean “redirecting the criminal to the scene of the crime.”

The ultra-rightist leader, in a speech with a clear electoral tone in a public ceremony, referred to the negotiations of the Workers’ Party (PT) for sectors of the center to support Lula’s aspirations, which would turn the former governor of Sao Paulo Geraldo Alckmin into the possible candidate for vice president in the key led by the socialist leader.

“They want to lead the criminal back to the scene of the crime, together with Geraldo Alckmin. Is that what we want for our Brazil? ”Said the Head of State at an event at the Planalto Presidential Palace in which he announced lines of credit for aquaculture.

Like Lula, Alckmin, who has been active in the center-right, is also the target of accusations of corruption, which are permanently remembered by Bolsonaro.

Lula, the main opposition leader in Brazil, was convicted in two corruption trials and spent 580 days in jail – which prevented him from contesting the 2018 presidential elections – but the Supreme Court last year annulled the decisions for a conflict of judicial powers and ordered that their processes be restarted by a new judge in Brasilia.

Bolsonaro took advantage of the first official ceremony of this year in the Planalto Palace to attack his main political rival, who leads with a wide advantage the voting intention polls for the October elections.

According to the polls, Lula has about 48% of the favoritism and doubles Bolsonaro in voting intention (23%).

In his attack today, the president recalled a speech in the 2018 election campaign in which Alckmin – who was also a candidate – stated that the PT would like to “return to the scene of the crime,” in a reference to the corruption scandals. that dotted the governments of Lula (2003-2010) and Dilma Rousseff (2011-2016).

The head of state insisted that the fortune recovered by Petrobras, a part of the resources diverted from the oil company during the PT governments, is a demonstration of the acts of corruption that occurred in the Lula government.

“Of the 100,000 million reais (about 17,860 million dollars) that Petrobras paid of its debt, part came from the accusation agreements whereby those responsible for the irregularities returned part of the deviated amount,” he said.

In December, Petrobras reported that so far it has recovered 6.17 billion reais (about 1,102 million dollars) of the total that was diverted from the largest company in Brazil by the corrupt network that adulterated its tenders for nearly a decade.

These resources returned to the coffers of the state oil company thanks to collaboration agreements, repatriations and resignations signed by the companies that diverted them so that the Prosecutor’s Office closes investigations against them in exchange for the admission of guilt and compensation to the company.

Bolsonaro also said that Lula is already negotiating the division of ministries and states among the leaders of center parties that support his presidential candidacy.

“I have no proof but I am going to say so. How is it that this citizen is getting support despite his life with a filthy background? Handing out ministries. He has already offered the presidency of la Caixa (the public bank Caixa Económica Federal) to a party, ”he assured.

He added that, on the contrary, the appointment of his ministers was not the result of negotiations with political parties but of technical recommendations.

“Most of you who work with me could be very good in other areas, but you are giving your sacrifice to help Brazil overcome the crisis and prevent the return of that hand of bandits and scoundrels that occupied this space to assault the country for a project of power, whose final act will be to attack our freedom ”, he affirmed.