Right-wing presidential candidate says he will release personal records if his opponent, President Lula, meets his conditions.
Brazilian right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro has set out steep conditions for disclosing his personal records in response to a challenge from President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, his opponent in Sunday’s election run-off.
Bolsonaro’s campaign has said it will release the data Lula requested if the president expands his own pledge to disclose his personal records to include those of his advisers, security staff and records from companies held by Lula’s children.
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Lula said on Tuesday that he would share his bank, tax and telephone records, along with those of his family, if Bolsonaro would agree to do the same.
His campaign submitted conditional authorisation to Brazil’s electoral court to release the president’s personal data.
Camilo Santana, a senator and representative of Lula’s campaign, told journalists that Lula has agreed to Bolsonaro’s new demands, and the president’s would file an official response with the court on Thursday morning.
Corruption scandal
The call from Lula on Tuesday came as both campaigns try to navigate the fallout of an explosive corruption scandal involving disgraced banker Daniel Vorcaro, which has implicated influential individuals and institutions across Brazil.
Bolsonaro, who narrowly leads Lula in the polls, is under investigation over alleged corruption and money laundering related to an investment he allegedly sought from Vorcaro. He is also under investigation in a separate probe over alleged money laundering.
The presidential hopeful denies any wrongdoing.
Brazil’s president is also linked to a corruption scandal, via his son Fabio Luis Lula da Silva, a businessman, who is accused being investigated over allegations that he unlawfully helped another businessman to gain access to the government.
Lula’s eldest son is also being investigated over his links to a businessman detained under a pension fraud probe.
Lula’s son denies the allegations, and the president has said his son would be treated like any other citizen.