Brasília [Brazil], October 28: Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently imprisoned, has left Brazil for the United States despite a court order prohibiting him from leaving the country, according to American media reports.
On October 25, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro lost to incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the Brazilian election. However, Bolsonaro refused to concede defeat.
The following day, the senator announced that a Brazilian Supreme Court judge had ordered him to surrender his passport. Bolsonaro himself is under investigation for corruption and money laundering allegations. Therefore, his defeat would also mean the loss of his immunity from prosecution as a member of parliament.
Meanwhile, the US State Department said on October 27 that it would grant visas to Bolsonaro and his family, but did not confirm his travel plans.
AFP, citing a police source, reported that Bolsonaro's official and ordinary passports had been canceled, adding that there were no official records showing the senator had left the country.
However, he was also granted Italian citizenship in 2023. And a day after the election, he stated on Instagram: "I never intended to leave this country" after the travel ban was imposed.
Bolsonaro's campaign manager, Rogerio Marinho, was shocked to read news reports indicating that the candidate had left Brazil.
For his part, Lula called the flight from the country a shameful act.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, who had supported Bolsonaro's candidacy, expressed doubts on October 26 about the results of the Brazilian election, which he said showed signs of "fraud".
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper