Rio De Janerio, October 16: Chico Rodrigues, the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s deputy leader in the senate faced flak after the police searched his house and found cash inside the underwear he was wearing. The search was conducted as part of a probe into the alleged misappropriation of COVID-19 funds. According to reports, Rodrigues had stepped down from his position representing President Jair Bolsonaro’s government after the cops found cash between his buttocks during the search. The search was conducted according to the 90-day suspension issued by Luis Roberto Barroso, a justice on Brazil’s Supreme Court. Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro Joins Anti-Quarantine Rally in Brasilia With No Face Mask, Coughs Several Times (Watch Video).

With this, Bolsonaro’s efforts to portray himself as an anti-corruption crusader have suffered another blow after police reportedly seized banknotes from one of his allies. According to The Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper, two sources aware of the development said it 30,000 reais (more than £4,100) were stashed in the underpants of Rodrigues, a senator for the Amazon state of Roraima. The magazine that broke the story saying, ‘To give you a sense of just how preposterous the situation was, some of the recovered notes were stained with faeces’. As soon as the news broke out, Brazilians shared it under the viral hashtag #PropinaNaBunda which means ‘A Bribe up the Bum’.

On Wednesday, Bolsonaro said that he doesn’t believe there’s any corruption in his government.  Reports inform that Rodrigues furnished no immediate explanation for the contents of his underwear. However, Rodrigues denied wrongdoing and hinted that rivals were trying to tarnish his image. The 69-year-old kept on saying that he has a clean background and a respectable life and never had been involved in any kind of scandal.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 16, 2020 11:16 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).