Moraes Orders Transfer of Saudi-Origin Jewels to Brazil’s Tax Authority

Overview

• Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes authorized this Friday the transfer of custody of the Saudi-origin jewels from a Caixa deposit under Polícia Federal control to the Alfândega at Guarulhos for the Receita Federal to manage.
• The Receita sought the change saying custody at the airport is essential to continue an administrative perdimento procedure, a fiscal process that, if completed, would transfer ownership of the items to the União.
• The Procuradoria-Geral da República backed the transfer and said there is no current criminal interest in the objects, but the criminal inquest has not been formally closed and its archiving remains pending before the court.
• The seized goods — luxury watches, a necklace, cufflinks and other high-value pieces presented as gifts from Saudi authorities — were intercepted in 2021 and led the Polícia Federal to indict Jair Bolsonaro and 11 others in July 2024 on allegations including peculato and money laundering.
• The Receita has warned that the forfeiture process risks prescription in October 2026, a deadline that could decide whether the administrative case can be completed and the jewels become federal property.