Brazil Police Cancel Flávio Bolsonaro Passports After Deadline Missed
Federal officers are checking border crossings for the defeated senator, while Argentine authorities report no record of his entry.
By Elena Castillo ·
Brazilian police cancelled the passports of Flávio Bolsonaro on Tuesday after the senator failed to surrender the documents within a 24 hour window set by the Supreme Court.
The court issued the order on Monday as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering, a charge Bolsonaro denies. He stated at the time that he intended to remain in Brazil to lead the opposition against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Federal officers are currently inspecting border crossings to determine if the 45 year old senator has left the country. A police source told BBC News Brasil that investigators are specifically checking if he traveled to neighboring Argentina.
Argentine authorities have since responded to inquiries, stating there is no record of Bolsonaro entering their territory through any border crossing.
The passport revocation adds pressure to a senator who is already facing multiple probes. Police received a separate order on Tuesday to investigate his electoral campaign for alleged foreign funding. This follows an earlier investigation into corruption related to the financing of a film about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest after being convicted of plotting a coup.
Bolsonaro’s legal troubles follow a decisive defeat in Sunday’s presidential run-off. The veteran incumbent Lula won 51.79 percent of the vote to Bolsonaro’s 48.21 percent. This result made Lula the first candidate to overturn a first round loss to secure the presidency. Bolsonaro won the first round on October 4, leading analysts to predict a second round victory.
Despite losing by a margin of 4.4 million votes, Bolsonaro has not conceded. He has called for the election to be annulled, arguing he was disadvantaged by a two hour extension of polling hours on election day. The extension was ordered by a Supreme Court justice and requested by both the Liberal Party and Lula’s party. Bolsonaro labeled the move a dirty trick, though his party has accepted the result while noting the extension merits investigation.
Source: BBC News
