FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2018 file photo, a supporter kisses Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, as he campaigns on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A Brazilian Supreme Court justice turned down on Friday, Feb. 1, 2019, a request by Flavio Bolsonaro, to suspend a probe into suspicious payments made to his former driver. The decision came on the same day Flavio Bolsonaro was sworn in as senator. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo, File)
Republished February 01, 2019 - 11:46 AM
Original Publication Date February 01, 2019 - 9:11 AM
SAO PAULO - A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has turned down a request by President Jair Bolsonaro's son, Flavio Bolsonaro, to suspend a probe into suspicious payments made to his former driver.
Defence lawyers had argued that the case must be decided by the Supreme Court because Flavio Bolsonaro was a senator-elect.
Justice Marco Aurelio Mello ruled that the privilege enjoyed by politicians in Brazil did not apply because the alleged crimes were committed before Flavio Bolsonaro took office as a federal lawmaker.
Friday's decision by Mello reopens the prosecutors' investigation in Rio state.
Mello's decision came on the same day Flavio Bolsonaro was sworn in as senator.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019