The Government of Jair Bolsonaro has ordered the suspension of the contract it signed with the Indian pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech for some 20 million vaccines against the Covaxin coronavirus, after a scandal broke out over a complaint by alleged overbilling in the agreement, reported the portal G1.
The announcement was made by the ministers Marcelo Queiroga, of Health, and Wagner Rosário, of the General Comptroller of the Federation (CGU).
“The suspension period will only last during the investigation period.”Rosário said, and estimated a period of no more than 10 days in which a “reinforced team” of the CGU will carry out an audit of the agreement to verify possible irregularities.
On Monday, three senators filed a complaint against the president for “prevarication” before the Supreme Court, for failing to report suspected fraud in the ‘Coxavin’ case, the name of the vaccine that sparked controversy.
The case adds another chapter to a questioned management of the pandemic, and could add a new reason for another request for impeachment against the president.
The complaint for “prevarication” is based on the statements of the brothers Luis Claudio and Luis Ricardo Miranda, one federal deputy and the other former head of the import sector of the Ministry of Health, before the Parliamentary Investigation Commission (CPI), which is investigating the role of the Executive Branch in managing the pandemic.
The deputy confirmed to the senators that he informed Bolsonaro in March of an alleged illegal scheme in the Ministry of Health for the millionaire purchase of the Indian inoculator, at a value of $ 15 a dose, four times what AstraZeneca costs.
On Monday, President Bolsonaro assured that he has no way of knowing what is happening in the ministries, and denied having responsibility for the alleged overpricing detected in the contract.
“There are 22 ministries, I have no way of knowing what is happening, I trust my ministers and we did not do anything wrong”Bolsonaro said.
