Coronavirus in Brazil: former Minister of Health Eduar …

From Rio de Janeiro. At the end of Wednesday afternoon, it was announced that the session in which the active General Eduardo Pazuello, who until the last week of March occupied the health ministry of the far-right government of Jair Bolsonaro, answered questions before a Brazilian congressional commission of inquiry. There will be a new session this Thursday.

Officially, the Senate claimed that the suspension was due to discomfort suffered by Pazuello. The general, however, said he felt nothing, and the reason for being summoned again was the high number of senators registered to question him.

This is another of the countless contradictions recorded since the start of the interrogation, shortly after nine-thirty in the morning. And once again, Pazuello chose to go against the truth: the senator Otto Alencar, a member of the committee of inquiry, who is a doctor, said he treated the general who experienced a case of “vasovagal syndrome”, which usually appears in people who, in a state of high tension, go for a long time without moving . The effects are dizziness, difficulty breathing and poor balance when stationary.

Pazuello’s tension was evident, and rightly so, and he remained seated for more than seven hours.

The presence of the active general was the most awaited by public opinion, members of the commission of inquiry, the army and the entire far-right government. With very rare exceptions, He is seen as directly responsible for the measures adopted by the Ministry of Health under his leadership that have helped Brazil reach the degree of devastation it is in, with at least 440,000 deaths from covid 19.

Among the exceptions, in addition to Pazuello himself – who once again said yesterday that the ministry’s conduct has been “exemplary” – is the president Jair Bolsonaro, their children and the soldiers integrated into the government.

An intense bombardment was expected at the time of questions from the Commission, the majority of which (7 against 4) is made up of self-proclaimed opponents or independents, but they also constantly harass the government. Known for his authoritarianism and his explosive temperament, it was feared, both among the active military and in the government, starting with Bolsonaro himself, that Pazuello would react violently, on the verge of being warned or even sanctioned by the Commission.

Indeed, sometimes in general, he opted for arrogant attitudes, on the point of being warned by the President of the Commission. But the whole time he devoted himself to lying absolutely blatantly, deny official notes and documents to their own statements, duly recorded and recorded.

Statements and testimonies from people previously summoned, such as Bolsonaro’s former ministers of health, his former head of communications, the president of the Health surveillance agency, the highest authority in the sector and even the general secretary of pharmacy Pfizer for all of Latin America, they were directly rejected by Pazuello.

The formidable cascade of lies angered many members of the Commission, who also denounced the manner in which the General has broadened out with long, vague and totally disconnected answers to the questions. The reviews, however, had no effect.: he continued to lie.

The interrogation will resume Thursday morning, in a climate of renewed tension. There are expectations as to the reaction of senators, starting with the president of the Commission and the person responsible for preparing the final report which will be put to a vote, in the event that Pazuello continues to refuse documents, speeches, official notes and recordings.

At the beginning of the night, it was learned in Brasilia that information had obviously “leaked” from the presidential palace, that Bolsonaro had described the performance of his former subordinate as “very good”.