After receiving a pardon from the Russian government, the Brazilian Robson Oliveira disembarked this Wednesday (5th) night at Galeão international airport, in Rio de Janeiro, received by his family and by President Jair Bolsonaro (without party).
Bolsonaro said Itamaraty was working “in secret so as not to hamper the freedom” of ex-pilot Fernando.
“[Fizemos] Everything in secrecy, in secrecy, so as not to hinder the freedom of a man who, for us, is innocent. For the Russian government, no, according to its laws, ”Bolsonaro told reporters at the airport.
The driver has been in prison for more than a year in Russia on charges of international drug trafficking for entering the country with a drug containing methadone hydrochloride – a substance banned in Russia but permitted in Brazil.
The Russian government banned the use of the substance, used in the treatment of drug addicts, in the late 1990s. In the country, methadone is included in the federal law on narcotics.
The drugs were ordered by the family of Fernando, then a Spartak Moscow player and for whom Robson worked. Currently, the steering wheel is a player of the Chinese team Beijing Guoan.
Robson’s case gained prominence on social media last week, with the hashtag #JusticaporRobson even shared by gamers.
Fernando, for his part, posted social media messages in which he said he was helping Robson prove his innocence, including paying his lawyer.
Bolsonaro came out to defend the player.
“Some thought he could go further. Fernando was at the limit. Can you go further? Maybe I could go further. But that does not justify, to my knowledge, some criticism as if I had abandoned Robson. It is not easy, accustomed to a fairly accommodating Brazilian judiciary, it is different there ”, declared the president.
Asked about the player’s behavior, Robson declined to comment.
“I will miss my family and meet my grandson. I’d rather not answer about Fernando, ”he said.
Bolsonaro compared his government’s performance in the Robson case to that of the Dilma Roussef administration on Brazilian Rodrigo Gularte, executed in Indonesia after trying to enter the Asian country with six kilograms of cocaine hidden on wooden boards. surf.
“We have not pursued the freedom of a man who has committed wrongdoing in another country, as has happened in the past,” he said.
The president said Robson would be employed by MP Hélio Lopes (PSL-RJ), known as Hélio Negão. He will work, according to Bolsonaro, as the congressman’s driver in Rio de Janeiro.
Bolsonaro announced Sunday the pardon of the Russian government. According to him, the act was granted by the Russian government due to the celebration of Easter by the Orthodox Church, the religion with the highest number of followers in Russia.
The news of Robson’s pardon was informed to the President by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos França, who was in the morning of this Sunday (2) at the Palácio do Alvorada.
“After months of negotiations with the Russian government, with whom we have excellent relations, Robson, former pilot of the player Fernando, detained for two years, is already at the Brazilian embassy”, declared the president during the speech. weekend.