The office of Brazil's attorney general announced on 2 July it’s probing claims that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro failed to report corruption linked to the purchase of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Brazilian federal prosecutors also opened a probe into the deal, citing comparatively high prices, suspiciously quick talks, and pending regulatory approvals as red flags. It’s also being probed by a Senate panel investigating the government's handling of the pandemic.
On 30 June, Brazilian lawmakers and lawyers filed a collective impeachment request against Bolsonaro. The president himself denies any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Brazil has increased by 65,163 within the past 24 hours, bringing the total number to 18,622,304. Brazil has the world’s second highest death toll behind the United States with more than 604,000 fatalities, and third in the number of confirmed cases after the US and India.
Bolsonaro has been heavily criticised for his handling of the pandemic, including the lack of a coordinated national response.