The Brazilian Flavio Bolsonaro is reportedly leaving for the US after the election defeat; questions remain over his whereabouts | Today’s news
Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro has reportedly left the country for the United States after losing Sunday’s presidential election to the incumbent. Luiz Inacio Lula da SilvaReuters, citing two sources, said questions about his whereabouts were mounting after he failed to meet a Supreme Court deadline to surrender his passports.
However, a senior Brazilian federal police official said, according to the new portal, that Bolsonaro did not leave the country through any regular migration point, so the circumstances of his reported departure are unclear.
The US embassy in Brazil did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Bolsonaro’s lawyer declined to comment, Reuters reported.
Flavio Bolsonaro missed the Supreme Court’s passport deadline
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Citing two sources, Reuters reported that Bolsonaro had gone to the United States. However, a senior federal police official said he did not leave through a regular migration point, so the circumstances remain unclear.
Its exact location has not been confirmed. Available information does not indicate his whereabouts or how he allegedly traveled to the United States.
The order was part of a money laundering investigation. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing in the case.
The 24-hour deadline expired and sources cited by Reuters said his travel documents had been cancelled. The article says that any legal consequences of missing the deadline remain unanswered.
No. He did not formally admit this and said he would seek to have the result annulled, citing alleged voting irregularities. His Liberal Party recognized Lula’s victory.
The announced departure came after Brazil’s top court on Monday gave Flavio 24 hours to surrender his passports as part of a money-laundering investigation. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing in the case.
The deadline subsequently expired and two other sources said his travel documents were revoked, according to the news outlet.
The development raises questions about his whereabouts and how he was able to travel to the United States despite the order. The available information does not determine its exact route or current location.
Flavio Bolsonaro refuses to accept electoral defeat
Flavio Bolsonaro has not yet formally conceded defeat in Sunday’s presidential election. On Sunday, he said he would seek to have the result annulled, citing alleged voting irregularities.
But his Liberal Party recognized Lula’s victory on Monday.
Flavio was favored to win the election but lost to Lula in what the report described as a shock result. The result marked another setback for the Bolsonaro family, which has remained a prominent force in Brazil’s right-wing politics.
Jair Bolsonaro’s father also left for the US after losing the election
Flavio’s announced departure echoes the actions of his father, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who traveled to the United States after refusing to concede defeat to Lula in the 2022 election.
Jair eventually returned to Brazil and was later sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup.
The two cases involve different legal circumstances, but the parallels have drawn attention to the Bolsonaro family’s response to election defeats.
Eduardo Bolsonaro supported moving abroad if his brother loses
Flavio’s younger brother Eduardo Bolsonaro, who lives in the United States, publicly suggested before the election that Flavio should leave Brazil if he lost.
“If my brother doesn’t win, I’m all for him leaving the country,” Eduardo told podcaster Steven Crowder earlier this month.
These remarks gained prominence following news of Flavius’ departure, although they do not establish whether the move was pre-planned.
A family ally of the Bolsonaros refuses to comment
Influencer Paulo Figueiredo, described in reports as an unofficial spokesman for the Bolsonaro family, declined to answer questions about Flavio’s whereabouts.
“After months of intense work that was unfairly thwarted, I am in no mood to talk to the press,” Figueiredo said in a statement. “If I have any comments on any matter, I will be in touch.
Flavio’s lawyer and the US Embassy in Brazil did not immediately comment on the reported departure.
Key questions remain unanswered, including Flavio’s confirmed location, the circumstances of his reported trip to the United States and the potential legal ramifications of missing the passport deadline.
Read also | Lula defeated Flavio Bolsonaro: 4 factors behind the Brazilian president’s election victory
