Brazilian lawmaker denouncing vaccine deal wears bullet-proof vest to hearing

FILE PHOTO: Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro speaks about the country?s hosting the 2021 Copa America during a ceremony announcing the Caixa public bank sponsorship of Brazilian sport, in Brasilia, at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, June 1, 2021. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

BRASILIA (Reuters) -A Brazilian congressman who has denounced alleged wrongdoing in a 1.6 billion reais ($323 million) COVID-19 vaccine contract signed by Brazil's government arrived at a Senate commission inquiry on Friday wearing a bullet-proof vest for safety.

Congressman Luis Miranda and his brother Luis Ricardo Miranda, the whistleblower at the Health Ministry who raised suspicions about the vaccine deal with India's Bharat Biotech, are the key witnesses in a hearing underway on Friday.