Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is facing an increasing legal quagmire, with authorities delving into his personal finances and communications. 

Simultaneously, a former aide currently incarcerated, is contemplating revealing information about his alleged involvement in a scheme centred around selling Rolex watches, supposedly orchestrated by the ex-president. 

Mr Bolsonaro, a far-right former military captain, narrowly missed reelection last year, losing to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a fiercely contested vote. 

Mr Bolsonaro’s unsupported claims of electoral fraud culminated in his supporters storming government buildings on January 8. Since then, his legal entanglements have continued to multiply. 

The ex-president is under investigation by a congressional inquiry related to the January 8 events and multiple police inquiries overseen by the Supreme Court. Some of his close associates who spoke with Reuters this week expressed concerns that he might soon find himself incarcerated.  

In the most recent development, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes granted investigators access to private phone and bank records of both Mr Bolsonaro and his wife, Michelle, according to an individual familiar with the matter. This decision, initially reported in the media on Thursday, grants law enforcement greater latitude in examining the various allegations of misconduct that Bolsonaro is facing. 

On Friday, Ms Bolsonaro took to Instagram, stating, “Why breach my financial and tax privacy? Just ask me!” 

She added, “It’s becoming increasingly evident that this political targeting… aims to sully my family’s reputation and force me to give in. They won’t succeed! I am at peace.” 

During a televised congressional investigation into the events of January 8, a computer programmer revealed that Mr Bolsonaro had asked him to manipulate an electronic voting machine to undermine confidence in the electoral system last year. 

The programmer, Walter Delgatti, claimed that Mr Bolsonaro had suggested discussing this idea with officials from the defence ministry and had even offered to grant him a pardon should he face legal repercussions. While Mr Bolsonaro admitted to the meeting, he vehemently denied Mr Delgatti’s allegations. 

Subsequently, news magazine Veja reported that Mauro Cid, a former close associate of Bolsonaro, intended to admit his participation in crimes linked to the alleged illicit sale of jewellery gifts from foreign governments. Mr Cid’s lawyer, Cezar Bitencourt, confirmed these intentions to Veja and other local news outlets, suggesting that Mr Cid would implicate Mr Bolsonaro as the mastermind behind the scheme.  

However, Bitencourt later clarified in a television interview that his client would not be making a full confession regarding the entire jewellery scam. Instead, Cid would provide details about his involvement in the sale of a single Rolex watch. Mr Bitencourt explained that Mr Cid would assert he sold the watch based on Mr Bolsonaro’s instructions and delivered the proceeds, in cash, to either Mr Bolsonaro or his wife. 

Mr Bitencourt stated, “The term ‘confession’ is quite weighty. Let’s put it this way: he will elucidate the facts of his participation, but it won’t be a confession.”