Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro has left Brazil for the United States after losing Sunday's presidential election, two sources said.1,2,3
Bolsonaro lost the runoff to incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. On Monday, he was given 24 hours to hand in his passports as part of a money laundering probe in which he denies wrongdoing. That deadline has now lapsed, two other sources said, and his documents have been canceled.1,2,3,4
Accounts differ on whether Bolsonaro complied with the order, DW reported. The Supreme Court had asked him to surrender his passports so he could not leave the country. The AFP news agency cited a police official as saying that his passports had been canceled and that there was no official record of him leaving the country.4
In a social media video on Monday, Bolsonaro said he had been served with the order outside the home where his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, was serving a 27-year sentence. He said the order was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.4
A senior Brazilian Federal Police official said Bolsonaro had not exited the country through any regular migration point, leaving unclear how he departed. It was not immediately clear where he is heading, what time he will arrive or whether he will seek asylum.2,3
Folha de S.Paulo reported, citing sources close to the senator, that his plan was scheduled to land in the United States in a few hours. It was unclear whether he could seek entry to the United States with his passports canceled.3,4
Bolsonaro said on Sunday that he would seek the annulment of the result over alleged voter irregularities, and he has not officially conceded defeat. His Liberal Party said on Monday that it acknowledged Lula's victory, though DW reported that the party did so on Tuesday.2,3,4
His father also went to the United States after refusing to concede his 2022 loss to Lula. Jair Bolsonaro later returned to Brazil and was given a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup, the New York Post reported, while DW described the sentence as one for attempting a coup.2,4
The administration of US President Donald Trump has previously alleged that Jair Bolsonaro was a victim of judicial persecution in Brazil. Lula has accused Washington of colluding with the Bolsonaros to put them back in power. Reuters reported ahead of Sunday's election on a US State Department campaign to restore them to office. The US Embassy in Brazil did not immediately respond to a request for comment.3
Eduardo Bolsonaro, Flavio's younger brother who lives in the United States, said ahead of the vote that he favored his brother leaving the country if he lost. "If my brother does not win, I'm in favor that he would leave the country," he told podcaster Steven Crowder this month.2,3
Bolsonaro's lawyer declined to comment. Right-wing influencer Paulo Figueiredo, who serves as a sort of unofficial spokesperson for the Bolsonaro family, also declined to answer questions about Flavio Bolsonaro's whereabouts. "After months of intense work that has been unfairly thwarted, I am not in the mood to speak to the press," he said in a message. "If I have any comments to make on any matter, I will get in touch."2,3
