Flávio Bolsonaro's passports cancelled after failure to surrender
Brazilian police cancel the passports of defeated right-wing candidate Flávio Bolsonaro after he misses a 24-hour Supreme Court deadline.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Brazil's Supreme Court ordered Flávio Bolsonaro to surrender his passports within 24 hours.
- Bolsonaro missed the deadline without handing over the documents amid money laundering probes.
- Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the presidential run-off election with 51.79% of the vote.
Police in Brazil have stated that they have cancelled the passports of defeated right-wing presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro after he failed to comply with an order to surrender the documents. On Monday, the Supreme Court instructed Bolsonaro to hand his passports over to police within 24 hours as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged money laundering, a charge he firmly denies.
At the time, Bolsonaro claimed he had no intentions of leaving the country and insisted he would remain in Brazil to lead the opposition against his left-wing rival, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. However, the deadline passed without the senator surrendering the documents, sparking speculation that he might have fled the nation.
The political climate in Brazil remains exceptionally volatile following a fiercely contested presidential run-off. The Supreme Court's aggressive enforcement regarding passport forfeiture and financial investigations underscores the judiciary's strict oversight of political figures facing corruption allegations.
Federal officers are actively checking border crossings to determine whether Bolsonaro crossed into neighboring Argentina, according to a police source consulted by BBC News Brasil. Nonetheless, Argentine authorities informed the BBC that there are no official records of Bolsonaro entering their country through any border checkpoint.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Aside from the money laundering investigation, Bolsonaro was already under scrutiny for alleged corruption concerning the financing of a documentary about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of plotting a coup and remains under house arrest. Furthermore, Brazil's Supreme Court directed police on Tuesday to investigate Flávio Bolsonaro's electoral campaign regarding alleged foreign funding.
The 45-year-old senator suffered a defeat on Sunday when he was beaten by Lula in the presidential run-off, an election Bolsonaro was widely favored to win. Lula secured 51.79% of the vote compared to Bolsonaro's 48.21%. Despite trailing by 4.4 million votes, Bolsonaro has refused to concede and has demanded that the election be annulled, citing disadvantages caused by a two-hour extension of voting on election day.
Source: BBC World
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