Bolsonaro’s Covaxin Scandal

Brazil’s Supreme Court has authorised a criminal investigation against President Jair Bolsonaro in response to allegations of corruption in the vaccine deal. The deal in question is the health ministry’s hasty purchase to buy 2o million doses of Covaxin developed by India’s Bharat Biotech.

The health ministry paid a significantly higher price for Covaxin than it did for Pfizer, even though it has not obtained regulatory approval or completed clinical trials. $320 million were paid to Precisa Medicamentos, the Bharat Biotech’s liaison in Brazil, with each dose costing $15. Pzifer’s offer to supply vaccines had been previously ignored and Bolsonaro had raised doubts about its efficacy although Pzifer had obtained regulatory clearance.

The irregularities of this deal attracted the attention of federal prosecutors and lawmakers. Since the news of the allegations broke on 29th June, the government has suspended the contract, but Bolsonaro and Bharat Biotech have both refuted the allegations.

Bolsonaro has been charged with “prevarication”, which means a public official’s delaying/refraining of action because of personal interest. On Friday, Supreme Court Justice Rosa Weber has given authority 90 days to build the case, allowing for the investigation into any other potential criminality in the contract.

On June 25, Luís Ricardo Miranda, a logistics department official, testified before the Senate committee inquiring about the management of the coronavirus pandemic by the government. He and his brother Congressman Luís Miranda informed that he was pressured by Alex Lial Marinho. Marinho is the aide to Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello, one of Bolsonaro’s closest allies. The whistleblowers said that the president had been warned of the irregularities in the deal, but Bolsonaro had allegedly claimed that he would look into the concerns. He reportedly said that he would involve the federal police, but there is no evidence to support that.

Presica has a history of alleged irregularities in previous contracts with the federal government, which was not taken into account by health officials. Miranda pointed out the inconsistency of invoices, such as the $45 million upfront payment to a Singapore-based company. The Senate Committee is also investigating documents showing the aggressive pressing for the contract with Bharat Biotech, according to The Wire, by Bolsonaro’s government. “It’s a visible attempt to extract public money without a documented purpose, with an inflated value and ulterior motives,” a Congressman said.

Anvisa, the Brazilian health regulator, had rejected the government’s request to import Covaxin in March, due to a lack of safety data. Concerns over Bharat Biotech’s manufacturing standards were raised too. In June, Anvisa’s Board agreed to import 4 million doses to study efficacy and security.

Covaxin was granted emergency use authorisation in India in January, even though data of phase 3 clinical trial (efficacy trial that grants commercial license) was unavailable. The company said that results will be submitted in March and the data will be publicly released in July. The vaccine is reportedly 77.8% effective and hasn’t yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. Nonetheless, it can now approach WHO for emergency listing, especially to receive approvals in other countries.

Brazil has the second-highest Covid death toll in the world, with more than 52 million dead. The slow vaccine rollout only added to the number.

The third tide of Covid-19 brought round the third round of demonstrations against his government, as tens of thousands called for his impeachment on Saturday. Cities of Recife, Ao Paulo, Belem, and Maceio saw people in the streets holding up signs reading “Genocidal Bolsonaro”, “Impeachment Already” and “Yes to the Vaccines”, and chanted “out with Bolsonaro!” to the beat of drums. A man in Rio de Janeiro held a sign that read: “The people only take to the streets in the middle of a pandemic when the government is more dangerous than the virus.”

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