Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro has been accused of paying a hacker to tamper with electronic voting machines (EVM). Appearing before a congressional inquiry on Thursday, a Brazilian hacker has testified that Bolsonaro had asked him to manipulate an EVM.
Reportedly, this was intended to serve as proof to the former president’s claims that the Brazil’s electoral system was vulnerable to fraud during the presidential campaign held last year.
Proving the point with ‘a blank check’
The hacker in question, computer programmer Walter Delgatti, alleged that he was summoned for a meeting with then-President Bolsonaro in August.
As per Delgatti, his meeting with Jair Bolsonaro was set by right-wing lawmaker Carla Zambelli, who paid the hacker 40,000 reais (USD 8,000) for his services.
He claimed that during the meeting, Bolsonaro allegedly urged him to consult experts at the defence ministry regarding the ‘request’. Purportedly Bolsonaro even offered to grant Delgatti a pardon in the event he faced legal consequences for the tampering.
Delgatti revealed, “He gave me a blank check to do what I wanted with the voting machines.”
“The idea was to take a machine … so I could install my app there and show the population that it is possible to press the button for one vote and end up with another.”
Delgatti further revealed that he was unable to hack a voting machine as per Bolsonaro’s request.
Troubles mount for Bolsonaro
This revelation comes in the wake of an electoral court decision that has rendered Bolsonaro ineligible for public office until 2030. This decision, as per Reuters, was taken due to him abusing his presidential powers to undermine trust in Brazil’s electoral system.
Speaking to Reuters, a person close to the Bolsonaro family described Delgatti’s allegations as “devastating.”
During an interview with local broadcaster Jovem Pan, Bolsonaro rejected the accusations. However, he confirmed his meeting with the hacker.
“There was the meeting and I sent him to the defence ministry to talk to technicians. He was there, and the matter died down,” he said.
A statement by Bolsonaro’s lawyers vowed legal action against the hacker and asserted that Delgatti’s testimony contained false information and was “totally devoid of any kind of proof, including committing, in thesis, the crime of slander.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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