President Jair Bolsonaro’s former education minister was detained on Wednesday in connection with a federal police corruption probe, significantly harming the far-right leader’s reelection effort.
It was stated in the Brazilian media that Milton Ribeiro had been talking to mayors who would be given preferential treatment in the allocation of funds for the agency before he resigned in March. In July of 2020, he was selected for the role and given the post.
Brazilian media revealed in March that Ribeiro had two unofficial intermediaries, Evangelical pastors, pursuing mayors who may support Bolsonaro’s campaign. This information was obtained via conversations leaked to the media. The former preacher is now serving as a pastor in the Evangelical church. A kilo of gold was among the bribes sought by both parties, according to a report.
As per Brazilian legislation, Ribeiro might have exploited his ministerial position to promote private interests such as influence peddling, corruption, prevarication, and administrative advocacy. When the story surfaced, the former minister vehemently denied any guilt. Lawyer Daniel Bialski stated in a statement that the detention of Ribeiro was “unjust, uncalled for and unnecessary.”
