Flavio Bolsonaro claims political persecution after fleeing Brazil for US following election loss

Washington: Former conservative presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro said on Friday that he fled Brazil for the United States after becoming the target of political "persecution" in his home country.

Bolsonaro, who lost Sunday's presidential runoff election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, departed Brazil secretly on Tuesday and arrived in Florida aboard a private jet on Wednesday following transit stops through Argentina and Ecuador.

"The persecution began even sooner than I imagined," the senator stated during an Instagram livestream, addressing his decision to flee after Brazilian authorities cancelled his passports as part of an ongoing money laundering probe.

In the broadcast, he described how law enforcement personnel notified him on Monday that his travel documents were being revoked as he departed a visit with his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who remains under house arrest.

"With tears in his eyes, he told me: 'You know where they're going with this, don't you?'" he said, recalling the interaction with his father.

"I told him: 'Dad, I know... Now I know what I have to do,'" he recounted.

While offering no specific details regarding the mechanics of his departure, he noted that he and his wife reached the decision "without anyone knowing" and urged the public not to "point the finger at anyone."

ALSO READ: Flávio Bolsonaro Flees to US, Claims He Is Brazil's Elected President

U.S. President Donald Trump and Argentine President Javier Milei are facing pressure to clarify the degree of involvement by U.S. and Argentine authorities in facilitating the senator's flight.

"I didn't leave Brazil, I left for Brazil," Flavio Bolsonaro declared, asserting that Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes had levelled unfounded allegations against him.

He also alleged that irregularities occurred during the runoff election, comparing them to "handball goals" missed by video assistant referees, though he provided no specific evidence detailing the claims.

ALSO READ: Trump claims Brazil election 'rigged'

Furthermore, he predicted that the national economy would "go bust" under Lula's administration and expressed a willingness to launch another presidential campaign, remarking: "I'm not talking about 2030, I'm talking about before then."

AFP