Former Brazilian leader Bolsonaro awarded damages over stolen bed claim
The Brazilian state has been ordered to pay former President Jair Bolsonaro around $2,600 (£2,025) in damages over allegations he took furniture from the presidential residence.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has publicly accused Bolsonaro of taking more than 260 objects with him when he left the Alvorada Palace – including “the bed”.
Bolsonaro and his wife Michelle Bolsonaro later said they had kept public furniture during the far-right politician’s three-year term from 2019 to 2022, and that they liked to decorate the residence to their own tastes.
On Tuesday, a federal judge ordered the Bolsonaro family to pay compensation for “moral damage” caused by allegations that they took items from the palace.
The court also ordered the president to publish a retraction in a lawsuit filed by Bolsonaro’s family, according to a ruling obtained by AFP.
The state attorney general’s office told AFP news agency it would appeal Tuesday’s ruling.
Jair Bolsonaro himself faces other legal challenges, including an investigation into whether he incited rioters who stormed key government buildings after he narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election to a leftist opponent.
He has voiced “regret” about the unrest, but denied he caused it.
However, the Brazilian Supreme Court agreed. include him in the investigation into the attack on government buildings on January 8, 2023.
Bolsonaro was in the United States when the attack on Congress occurred, but He returned to Brazil in March 2023 and said he had nothing to fear.r.
He remains the most influential figure on the right in Brazilian politics.