Bolsonaro, President of Brazil, implicated in racket scheme as lawmaker: What you need to know

Picture courtesy: ABC Brazil

Jair Bolsonaro, the President of Brazil, was involved in a scheme to skim salaries of his aides while a federal deputy,as reported by UOL on Monday.

The scheme, known in Brazil as rachadinha, involves hiring close associates as employees and then receiving a cut of their salaries back from them.

Procesutors in Rio de Janeiro have previously pressed charges against Federal Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the president's eldest son, over his participation in a similar racket when he was a state legislator.

Based on audio recordings of Bolsonaro's former sister-in-law, it is the first time the president has been directly implicated in a rachadinha scheme, despite several awkward questions about his role in his son's alleged racket in Rio de Janeiro.

While the rachadinha is not directly connected to the Senate inquiry, it adds to recent allegations about irregularities in the government's purchase of vaccines and calls into question Bolsonaro's anti-corruption platform.

The president's office refused to comment. A lawyer representing Bolsonaro contacted

by UOL denied illegalities as well.