President Jair Bolsonaro forwarded to the South African government the name of former Rio de Janeiro mayor Marcelo Crivella (Republicans) so that he can assume the post of ambassador of Brazil in the country.
The information, revealed by Correio Braziliense and confirmed by Folha by a member of the government, is already causing discomfort among diplomats, who see the nomination as a maneuver for the benefit of the president.
Crivella's name still depends on the approval of the South African government, in a process that runs in secrecy. Therefore, there is no official confirmation until the host country's response. If South Africa responds positively, the nomination will be made official, and the former mayor must pass a hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The commission's president, senator Kátia Abreu (PP-TO), informed that she will only comment on the nomination when it is made official.
Crivella was arrested on December 22, denounced as the head of an alleged criminal group that allegedly instituted a bribery scheme in the city hall. He even spent a night at the Benfica prison, in the northern part of Rio, but was allowed to serve house arrest the next day.'
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon