Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro has left the country for the United States after his defeat in Sunday’s presidential runoff, an ally told Reuters on Tuesday, confirming earlier media reports.
A US official told CNN that Bolsonaro was flying to Florida. It remains unclear how he left Brazil, days after a Supreme Court judge ordered him to hand over his passports.
Passport order and cancelled documents
On Monday, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro to hand in his passports within 24 hours as part of a money-laundering probe in which he denies wrongdoing. That deadline has now lapsed and his documents have been cancelled, sources said.
Bolsonaro said on Monday that police had told him in person that he was banned from leaving Brazil. In a video posted to Instagram, he denied intending to flee.
Conflicting reports on his route
Argentine outlet Infobae reported that Bolsonaro left Brazil via Argentina, but Argentina’s government said it had “no record of Flávio Bolsonaro entering” the country. A senior Brazilian federal police official said Bolsonaro had not exited the country via any regular migration point, and Brazil’s Federal Police are searching for him, CNN Brasil reported.
Why he feared arrest
A Brazilian source close to Bolsonaro told CNN he had feared arrest, as he is under investigation by Brazil’s highest court over alleged corruption, money laundering and currency evasion. Bolsonaro denies all wrongdoing.
His younger brother Eduardo, who lives in Texas, had said before the runoff that Flávio ought to leave Brazil if he lost. On Tuesday, however, Eduardo called reports that his brother had fled a “lie”.
Bolsonaro has not conceded defeat in the runoff, although his Liberal Party acknowledged President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s victory on Monday. His father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, also went to the United States after refusing to concede losing to Lula in 2022, before returning to Brazil.
FAKTA
- Flávio Bolsonaro has left Brazil for the United States, sources told Reuters and CNN.
- A US official said he was flying to Florida; his exact route is unconfirmed.
- A court ordered him to surrender his passports within 24 hours on Monday; the documents have since been cancelled.
- He denies wrongdoing in a money-laundering probe and denies intending to flee.
- His Liberal Party has acknowledged Lula’s runoff victory; Bolsonaro himself has not conceded.
Conclusion
Bolsonaro’s departure, if confirmed in full, would deepen the political drama following one of Brazil’s most closely fought elections, and raises immediate questions about the court order he left behind. Brazilian authorities have yet to confirm his whereabouts officially.
