Bolsonaro admits he was «immoral» to benefit from aid for homeless deputies in Brasília

© Provided by News 360 Jair Bolsonaro. - Fernando Souza/ DPA

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has acknowledged that as a congressman he acted "immorally" when he received a housing subsidy from Congress because he had a residence in Brasília, but has excused himself on the grounds that it was not illegal.

"I received housing assistance from the Chamber, yes," has recognized Bolsonaro, who has revealed that despite having an apartment in the southwest of Brasilia of about 75 square meters, he benefited from the one offered by Congress, of about 300 square meters.

"The apartment was mine, I bought it, I paid and received the housing subsidy, yes. It is not illegal, it may be immoral," he said in an interview of more than five hours for an Internet podcast echoed by the newspaper 'Folha de Sao Paulo'.

"But I lived on my salary, I had other expenses that.... Now, for example, I would not pay the condominium fee of the Chamber's apartment. There in mine, I paid condominium. I agree with you, it was immoral," Bolsonaro acknowledged.

The apartment in Bolsonaro's name was bought at the end of the 1990s, when he was a congressman at the time and received housing assistance from the Chamber of Deputies, which is granted to those who do not have any housing in Brasília.

In 2018, the newspaper 'Folha de Sao Paulo', revealed that he and one of his sons, federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro received 6,167 reais (1,176 euros approximately) from the public coffers earmarked for this parliamentary perk despite having housing in the Brazilian capital.

Until January of that year, when the matter was made public, Bolsonaro had been receiving this benefit uninterruptedly since October 1995, while the son had this assistance since October 2015. Both have pocketed a total of 730,000 reais (about 139,000 euros).

During the interview, Bolsonaro did not miss the opportunity to once again question the reliability of the electronic ballot boxes, against which he has maintained a particular crusade since former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva recovered his political rights and emerged as the main favorite for the general elections scheduled for next October 2.

At the same time, he has also criticized the investigations against him in the Supreme Court, some of which have been opened by Judge Alexandre de Moraes, whom he has accused of being he and his "gang" who decide what is or is not false news, in reference to one of these cases.

In relation to the half a dozen cases that Bolsonaro has open, five of them in the Supreme Court and another in the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), he has assured that he is not interested in the immunity that he could benefit from thanks to the proposed amendment to the Constitution with which former presidents are guaranteed a lifetime seat as senators.

"I am not interested in that, they are going to say that I am asking for a break (...). I don't want that immunity," he assured.