BRAZILIAN FEDERAL POLICE are questioning former president Jair Bolsonaro about allegedly attempting to sneak in diamond jewellery reportedly worth $3 million (€2.8 million) and the sale of two luxury watches he received as gifts from Saudi Arabia while in office, federal authorities said.

Bolsonaro arrived this morning at Federal Police headquarters in Brasilia, Brazil’s capital, a federal police spokesperson confirmed to journalists waiting outside the premises, including one from The Associated Press (AP).

Another federal police officer confirmed to the AP that he and seven others were summoned to answer questions about the jewellery.

Photojournalists cover the arrival of the vehicle carrying Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro at Federal Police headquarters in Brasilia Eraldo Peres / AP Eraldo Peres / AP / AP

Aside from Bolsonaro, police will also be questioning his wife Michelle, two lawyers, former aide Lt Col Mauro Cid, Lt Col Cid’s father, Osmar Crivelatti and Marcelo Camara, the officer said.

The simultaneous hearings pose another potential blow for the embattled far-right leader, who is also the target of several other investigations.

Earlier this month, federal police raided the homes and offices of several people purportedly involved in the jewellery case and alleged Bolsonaro received nearly $70,000 (€64,500) for the sale of two luxury watches gifted from Saudi Arabia.

Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing.

His lawyers did not respond to a request for comments from the AP.

The investigation into the undeclared jewellery is just one of many legal headaches Bolsonaro faces.

Earlier this year, he was ruled ineligible to run for office until 2030 after a panel of judges concluded he abused his power and cast unfounded doubts on the country’s electronic voting system.

Another investigation revolves around Lt Col Cid’s arrest in May for allegedly falsifying Covid-19 vaccine cards for his own family and Bolsonaro’s family during the pandemic.

A parliamentary commission of inquiry is also investigating whether Bolsonaro incited the 8 January riots in which his supporters ransacked the Supreme Court, the presidential palace and Congress one week after leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was inaugurated as president.