Brazil's govt says 'national security' would be at risk if Bolsonaro's phone seized

Brazilian government warned on May 22 that national security would be at risk if investigators granted a request to seize the cell phone of President Jair Bolsonaro. Opposition parties have requested the phone of far-right leader and his son Carlos to probe into the allegations levelled by former justice minister Sergio Moro that Bolsonaro tried to interfere in federal police investigations.

A video of a cabinet meeting has been released on the order of Supreme Court justice in which the Brazilian President was seen using profane words to express his frustration at his inability to extract information from police. In the video, Bolsonaro can be heard vowing to change Cabinet ministers if it is needed to protect his family from the “farce”.

Moro, one of the most popular figures in Bolsonaro administration, resigned last month after the Brazilian President fired the federal police director-general without consulting the Justice Minister. He alleged that Bolsonaro openly demanded changes in key federal police positions, including agency’s chief.

The video was the latest blow to Bolsonaro’s popularity which has nosedived after the coronavirus pandemic. Brazil has reported over 330,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases with more than 21,000 deaths related to the virus and is all set to topple Russia from the second position worldwide.

Read: Man Accidentally Appears Naked During Zoom Conference Call With Bolsonaro

Over 5.2 million cases

According to the latest data of John Hopkins University, over 5.2 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed across the globe with over 338,000 deaths, overwhelming health care facilities worldwide. The United States, Russia, Brazil, and the UK are the worst-hit countries due to the pandemic with around 60 per cent of death toll reported from these four countries alone. 

The numbers get more sombre for the US as it has reported over 1.6 million cases, almost one-third of the worldwide cases, and more than 96,000 deaths due to the infectious disease. Within the United States, New York has reported over one-fourth of the nationwide coronavirus cases and almost one-tenth of the worldwide cases.

Read: COVID-19: Bolsonaro Says Brazil To Sign New Protocol Recommending Use Of Chloroquine

(Image credit: AP)