Brazil's chief prosecutor has charged the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro with coercion, according to an official statement on Monday.
The attorney general's office has alleged Eduardo Bolsonaro, a congressman, repeatedly acted to subject the interests of the republic to personal and family agendas, subjecting Brazil to threats of sanctions from foreign governments.
The congressman called these charges 'bogus' in a post on social media X, asserting it was 'absurd' to accuse him of obstruction of justice.
This legal action comes just weeks after his father, who governed Brazil from January 2019 to December 2022, was sentenced to 27 years in jail for orchestrating a coup.
Eduardo Bolsonaro, who resides in the U.S., claimed he learned of the charges through the press, characterizing the timing of the announcement as indicative of his ongoing 'political persecution.'
Prosecutors are also pursuing 'compensation for damages resulting from the criminal actions,' seeking to hold him accountable for alleged misdeeds.
Deemed undesirable by the Brazilian political establishment, businessman Paulo Figueiredo, grandson of former dictator João Batista Figueiredo, has also been implicated in these charges.
Eduardo relocated to the United States earlier this year, citing fears of arrest upon returning to Brazil. He has been vocal in lobbying for support for his father from the Trump administration, which has compared the investigation against Jair to a 'witch hunt.'
In a further blow to Brazil's relationship with the U.S., President Donald Trump recently imposed a 50% tariff on Brazil, a move that current Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva labeled 'misguided and illogical.'
Moreover, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced additional measures to pressure Brazil over the conviction of Jair Bolsonaro, which has complicated diplomatic relations. Rubio's recent sanctions against the wife of a Brazilian Supreme Court Justice have drawn criticism, with the judge himself describing the move as 'illegal and regrettable.'
As the situation continues to evolve, Eduardo's political future hangs in the balance, directly impacted by the legal challenges he now faces.
