Brazil Suspends Covaxin Vaccine Agreement As Transplant Claims Examine

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RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazil will suspend a $ 324 million Indian Covid-19 vaccine contract that has mired President Jair Bolsonaro on impropriety charges, the health minister said on Tuesday, following advice from the federal controller, the CGU. Bharat Biotech’s agreement to buy 20 million doses of Covaxin has become a headache for Bolsonaro after whistleblowers publicized suspected irregularities. A health ministry official said he alerted the president to his concerns. Bolsonaro, whose popularity waned as Brazil’s Covid-19 death toll surpassed 500,000, denied any wrongdoing, saying Monday he was not aware of any irregularities. But the thorny issues refuse to go away and could pose problems for him ahead of next year’s presidential vote. Brazilian Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga told a press conference his team would investigate the allegations during the suspension. “According to the preliminary analysis of the CGU, there are no irregularities in the contract but, for the sake of compliance, the Ministry of Health has chosen to suspend the contract,” the ministry said in a statement. Earlier Thursday, CNN Brasil reported that the ministry had decided to cancel the contract. Brazilian federal prosecutors have opened an investigation into the deal, citing relatively high prices, swift talks and pending regulatory approvals as red flags. He is also being polled by a Senate panel investigating the government’s handling of the pandemic. One of the main opposition senators on this panel lodged an official criminal complaint against Bolsonaro with the Supreme Court on Monday. Senator Randolfe Rodrigues said he wanted the court to investigate “the serious allegations” and find out why Bolsonaro “took no action after being informed of the existence of a giant corruption plan at the Ministry of Health”.

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