Defeated Flavio Bolsonaro flees to US despite revoked passport, travel ban

Washington: Defeated right-wing presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro departed Brazil for the United States despite a court order barring him from leaving the country, US media outlets reported on Tuesday.

The 45-year-old senator and son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro lost Sunday’s presidential runoff election to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and has refused to formally concede defeat.

On Monday, the conservative senator stated that a Supreme Court justice had ordered him to surrender his travel documents. Bolsonaro remains under investigation for alleged corruption and money laundering, and his electoral loss strips him of parliamentary immunity.

Bolsonaro arrived in the United States, according to reports from CNN and The Washington Post, which both cited an anonymous source. His precise landing location within the country remains unconfirmed.

The US State Department indicated on Tuesday that it would issue travel visas to Bolsonaro and his family, though it did not officially confirm his travel itinerary.

A police source told AFP that the senator’s Brazilian and diplomatic passports had been formally invalidated, adding that "there is no formal record of Flavio Bolsonaro leaving the country."

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However, an Italian parliamentary document reviewed by AFP indicates that Bolsonaro has maintained Italian citizenship since 2023.

Bolsonaro’s campaign manager, Rogério Marinho, expressed surprise regarding reports that the defeated candidate had left Brazil.

"We still don't have any news about his whereabouts," Marinho told reporters in Brasília on Tuesday.

"I received a text message from him this morning, where he said he would let some time pass today and then would talk with us, and that was it," Marinho added. "That was the only communication we had."

In response, President Lula described fleeing the nation as a "shameful" act.

"A person who sneaks out of their country must have something to hide. The act of leaving Brazil is shameful," Lula remarked in Brasília during a gathering marking his 81st birthday.

On Monday, Bolsonaro characterised the travel restriction as an intimidation attempt.

"I never had any intention of leaving the country," he stated in a video broadcast on Instagram.

US President Donald Trump, a close ally of the Bolsonaro family, claimed on Monday that the Brazilian election was "rigged" following the defeat of the younger Bolsonaro.

Flávio’s brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, a US-based former legislator, maintains direct ties with the White House.

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Last week, Eduardo told an American podcast host that Flávio Bolsonaro should exit Brazil in the event of an electoral loss due to ongoing legal inquiries into his activities.

In his Monday statement, Lula’s challenger maintained that he intended to assume leadership of the political opposition against the leftist administration.

Following Lula’s victory with 51.8 per cent of the vote, Bolsonaro stated he would attempt to challenge the election result, citing the decision to extend voting hours due to transit disruptions that hampered voter access.

Lula’s campaign had requested the polling extension, as had Bolsonaro’s team due to severe weather conditions across several regions.

Expectations had favoured a Bolsonaro victory after he finished ahead in the initial round of voting earlier this month.

Throughout his campaign, he pledged to grant a pardon to his father, who remains under house arrest following a conviction for attempting a coup after his own 2022 election defeat.

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Jair Bolsonaro never conceded his defeat and exited the country on the eve of his successor's inauguration, returning to Brazil three months later.

In a separate action on Tuesday, the Supreme Court instructed federal police to open an inquiry into alleged foreign funding of Flávio Bolsonaro's campaign and potential external interference, including social media "manipulation."

Lula’s campaign had previously lodged complaints concerning electoral interference by Meta—the parent organisation of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram—alleging "algorithmic manipulation."

Meta has denied taking any steps to favour a specific candidate, maintaining that a selection of Lula campaign advertisements had been deactivated due to technical errors.

AFP