A Brazilian senator, Chico Rodriguez allied to far-right President Jair Bolsonaro was caught hiding money in his underwear during a police investigati
A Brazilian senator, Chico Rodriguez allied to far-right President Jair Bolsonaro was caught hiding money in his underwear during a police investigation into the diversion of public funds for fighting the coronavirus.
Federal officers raided his home in the northern state of Roraima during the week as part of a corruption probe. They found 30,000 reales ($5,300) in cash, part of which was discovered in Rodrigues’s underwear, including “between his buttocks,” said major outlets including O Globo, Folha de S. Paulo and Estadao, quoting sources from the investigation.
The federal police confirmed that they were trying to dismantle a “possible criminal scheme diverting public funds” set aside to combat the outbreak in Roraima state.
Rodrigues meanwhile issued a statement saying the police “did their job carrying out a search as part of an investigation in which I’m cited,” although he made no mention of the cash nor where it was allegedly found. He complained that he’d had his “home invaded just for doing my job as a legislator” and insisted he had done nothing wrong.
Bolsonaro accused the media of using the story to portray his government as corrupt.
“This operation is a typical example that there’s no corruption in my government, that we’re tackling corruption no matter who it is,” he said.
