Flávio Bolsonaro May Have Left Brazil for the United States
Flávio Bolsonaro, the defeated presidential candidate and Brazilian senator, is believed to have departed Brazil for the United States, after his deadline to surrender his passports expired on October 27. Several sources said he had departed, though Brazilian authorities said he had not crossed a regular migration checkpoint, and Argentina denied having a record of his entry there. His precise route was not confirmed by those sources.
On October 26, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes directed Bolsonaro to turn over his regular and diplomatic passports within 24 hours and prohibited him from leaving Brazil. The order came amid investigations into alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing. Brazil’s Federal Police canceled his passports and was searching for him after he did not appear to meet the deadline.
Bolsonaro had said in a social media video that he had no intention of leaving the country and would comply with the order. He criticized the decision as an attempt to intimidate him and argued it was prompted by comments from his brother Eduardo, who had urged him to depart Brazil in the event he lost the election. Eduardo, who lives in Texas, later called claims about his brother’s flight a lie.
Bolsonaro lost the October 25 runoff to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by nearly four percentage points. He has not officially conceded and has called for the election result to be challenged, while his Liberal Party has acknowledged Lula’s victory. The result is due to be certified by the electoral court on December 18. Bolsonaro’s Senate term ends January 31, 2027, when he is also set to lose special jurisdiction at the Supreme Court.
Bolsonaro’s Possible Flight Follows Passport Order in Active Probe
Flávio Bolsonaro’s possible departure for the United States came after he failed to meet a court-ordered deadline to surrender his passports, a restriction imposed amid investigations into alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion. The senator denies wrongdoing, but the cases and the court order are central to the dispute over his whereabouts.
On October 26, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes directed Bolsonaro to hand over his regular and diplomatic passports and barred him from leaving Brazil. The Federal Police canceled the documents and searched for him after he missed the deadline. Several sources said he had reached the United States, although authorities said he had not left through a regular migration checkpoint and Argentina denied any record of his entry.
Bolsonaro had said he intended to comply and had no plans to leave the country. He called the order an attempt to intimidate him and linked it to his brother Eduardo’s suggestion that he leave if he lost the election. Eduardo, who lives in Texas, subsequently called claims about his brother’s flight a lie.
Bolsonaro lost the October 25 runoff to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by nearly four percentage points and has not officially conceded. His party has acknowledged Lula’s victory. Bolsonaro has sought to challenge the result, which must be certified by the electoral court by December 18. The competing claims over his departure leave open questions about whether he complied with the order before possibly reaching the United States.
Passport Order After Election Loss Raises Questions Over Bolsonaro’s Treatment
Flávio Bolsonaro’s possible departure for the United States followed a Supreme Court order that barred the defeated candidate from leaving Brazil and demanded his passports within 24 hours. The timing and basis of the restriction have fueled his claim that the measure was meant to intimidate him, rather than simply enforce a legal process.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the order on October 26, amid investigations into alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing. He said the order was prompted by his brother Eduardo’s comments urging him to leave if he lost the election, and questioned whether the same action would have been taken had he won.
Several sources said Bolsonaro had left for the United States after missing the deadline. The Federal Police canceled his regular and diplomatic passports and searched for him. However, authorities said he had not exited through a regular migration checkpoint, and Argentina denied any record of his entry there. Bolsonaro had previously said he would comply and had no intention of leaving Brazil; Eduardo later called claims of the flight a lie.
Bolsonaro lost the October 25 runoff to Lula by nearly four percentage points and has not officially conceded, although his party has recognized Lula’s victory. He has sought to challenge the result before it is certified by the electoral court on December 18. The dispute over the passport order and his possible departure adds to tensions surrounding the election and the court’s role.
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