On Friday, July 2, the Supreme Court of Brazil ordered a criminal investigation against President Jair Bolsonaro for dereliction of duty.
The allegations made against the Bolsonaro administration suggest that there were irregularities, possibly corruption, involved in the contract for the purchase of 20 million doses of Covaxin for $ 300 million.
In February, when the deal was signed between the Bolsonaro administration and Bharat Biotech, Covaxin did not have any regulatory approval in the country. It was also the most expensive vaccine to be purchased by Brazil.
The Wire‘s Seraj Ali breaks down the events that led to this investigation and the current situation. Neeta Sanghi, a contributor for The Wire who has three decades of experience in the pharmaceutical supply chain, also talks about the future of Covaxin exports.
