Senate report to urge Bolsonaro be charged over pandemic

By DÉBORA ÁLVARES and DIANE JEANTET
Associated Press

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Members of a Brazilian Senate committee say the report being presented for a vote will recommend President Jair Bolsonaro be indicted on criminal charges for allegedly bungling Brazil’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and pushing the country’s death toll to second-highest in the world. Wednesday’s report will call for Bolsonaro to be indicted on nine charges, from charlatanism and inciting crime all the way up to crime against humanity. It can still be modified befor a final vote and the decision on whether to file most of the charges is up to Brazil’s prosecutor-general, who was appointed by the president. Analysts say it’s unclear if he will act.