Brazil president’s eldest son denies allegations of money laundering

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s eldest son denied allegations Thursday that he laundered money embezzled from public funds, after a document leaked by the media revealed he was implicated.

The document from the Rio de Janeiro prosecutor’s office was leaked after searches of properties belonging to Flavio Bolsonaro, several former advisers, and members of Jair Bolsonaro’s former wife’s family, the mother of his fourth son, Renan.

Flavio Bolsonaro, who is now a senator, was a Rio state deputy from 2003 to 2018.

The document shows that Flavio is suspected of laundering money through the purchase of apartments in cash, for the amount of 638,400 reais, or about $157,000 at the current exchange rate.

“There is an absurd persecution against me in Rio de Janeiro, because they want to get to me in order to attempt to get to the president,” Flavio Bolsonaro said in a video posted on social media.

“A message for you: You will not succeed. Because we have not done anything wrong,” he said.

On Wednesday, a chocolate shop partly owned by Flavio -- and which, according to media reports, has been used to launder money -- was also searched.