Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro facing criminal charges

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Members of the commission sent a letter to lower house of Congress requesting their vote be recorded A Brazilian committee has voted in favour of recommending criminal charges against…

Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro facing criminal charges

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Members of the commission sent a letter to lower house of Congress requesting their vote be recorded

A Brazilian committee has voted in favour of recommending criminal charges against frontrunner far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro.

The Federal Commission of Latin America sent a letter to lower house of Congress requesting their vote be recorded.

In order to be formally charged, Congress will need to accept the recommendation.

Mr Bolsonaro, who will face a Senate ethics panel next, denies any wrongdoing.

Earlier this month he told the committee that a version of the letter would “smear” the committee.

The commission was set up to investigate allegations of electoral fraud during the 2018 elections, in which Mr Bolsonaro won the presidential vote.

Image copyright EPA Image caption The advisory commission met last month to study claims of fraud during the 2018 election

Following the release of the letter, Mr Bolsonaro said the commission, “which has been riddled with internal conflicts, is totally unjustified.”

The committee also recommended prosecutors investigate Mr Bolsonaro over claims that he plagiarised material from a speech given by President Donald Trump.

Mr Bolsonaro, who is a junior congressman, uses the same tone and level of engagement to get his points across as the American president, it was alleged.

Mr Bolsonaro, who describes himself as a Christian democrat, is currently leading the opinion polls.

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