BRASILIA: Brazil’s defeated presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro has left the country for the United States after authorities canceled his passports for failing to comply with a Supreme Court order in a money laundering investigation.
The 45-year-old senator’s departure followed his election defeat to incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday. His reported move came despite his earlier pledge to remain in Brazil and lead the opposition.
A senior U.S. official said Washington would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family, allowing them to enter the United States. His exact location and travel route were initially unclear, although sources later reported that he had reached Florida and met his younger brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro.
Brazil’s Supreme Court had ordered Flávio Bolsonaro to surrender his passports to federal police within 24 hours as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering. Authorities canceled the documents after he missed the deadline.
Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing and previously said he would comply with the order. He described the measure as an attempt to intimidate him and maintained that he intended to remain in Brazil to organize the opposition.
His departure prompted questions about how he left the country while under a court order to surrender his travel documents. A senior federal police official said there was no record of him leaving through a regular immigration checkpoint. Argentine authorities also said they had no record of him entering Argentina.
Bolsonaro is being investigated over suspected money laundering in a case involving Brazilian lawyer Willer Tomaz. Investigators have examined alleged financial links between the senator and a company owned by the lawyer. Bolsonaro has denied doing business with him, and the allegations have not been proven in court.
A separate investigation concerns the financing of a film about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election and later placed under house arrest.
Brazil’s Supreme Court has also ordered authorities to investigate alleged foreign funding of Flávio Bolsonaro’s presidential campaign.
The senator’s departure could complicate his plans to lead the opposition following his defeat. It remains unclear whether he intends to stay in the United States permanently or seek political asylum.
His younger brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, already lives in the United States.
