Brazil’s Bolsonaro hands undeclared jewels to authorities

By CARLA BRIDI
Associated Press

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — A representative of Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday handed a set of diamond jewelry he had received from Saudi Arabia to a state bank, as he was ordered to do by a government watchdog. The state bank Caixa Economica Federal says it received the box of precious stones at one of its branches in the capital Brasilia. A federal watchdog on Wednesday gave Bolsonaro five days to hand over the precious stones, which he had received while president. Authorities are investigating whether the goods were a public gift that Bolsonaro improperly tried to prevent from being incorporated into the presidency’s public collection, or a private gift that Bolsonaro tried sneak into Brazil without paying taxes.