Bolsonaro Arrives in US After Brazil Cancels Passports Amid Probe
Arrival and passport order
Sources told the BBC that Flávio Bolsonaro reached the US hours after Brazil cancelled his passports. They said he met his younger brother, Eduardo, in Florida, but his route from Brazil has not been established.
Brazil’s Supreme Court had ordered him to give his passports to police within 24 hours as part of an inquiry into alleged money laundering. He missed the deadline, and his lawyers told BBC Brasil they did not know where he was.
Investigations and allegations
Bolsonaro has not been charged in the money-laundering investigation and rejects the allegations. He described the seizure of his passports as an effort to intimidate him. Authorities are also examining alleged corruption linked to financing a film about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro. A separate inquiry concerns alleged links to a lawyer accused of laundering more than $1bn through a fraud scheme.
Police said earlier this month that Flávio Bolsonaro had access to accounts belonging to a company owned by the lawyer. Bolsonaro denied doing business with him, and the Supreme Court has separately ordered an examination of his electoral campaign over alleged foreign funding.
Election defeat disputed
He argued that extending voting by two hours put him at a disadvantage, although both parties had requested the extension. The Liberal Party accepted the result but said the extension merited investigation.
Bolsonaro had said he would remain in Brazil to lead the opposition. After missing the passport deadline, police checked crossings for a possible trip to Argentina, but Argentine authorities reported no record of his entry.
Key points
- Sources told the BBC Flávio Bolsonaro arrived in the US and met Eduardo in Florida.
- Brazil cancelled his passports after he missed a Supreme Court deadline to surrender them.
- He has not been charged in the money-laundering inquiry and denies the allegations.