Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro was planning to flee to Argentina; request asylum (Pic credit: AP)
Brazil’s federal police report revealed that former president Jair Bolsonaro once considered fleeing to Argentina and seeking political asylum there.The 170-page police report, submitted to Brazil’s Supreme Court, included text exchanges, voice messages, and documents seized during investigations, AP reported.The disclosures emerged from messages found on Bolsonaro’s telephone. The report said Bolsonaro had prepared a request for asylum addressed to Argentine President Javier Milei, dated February 10, 2024. In a 33-page letter to Milei, Bolsonaro wrote: “I, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, request political asylum from Your Excellency in the Republic of Argentina, under an urgent regime, as I find myself in a situation of political persecution in Brazil and fear for my life.”Far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro was charged in February for trying to stage a coup after losing the presidential elections in 2022.The police report also accused Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo Bolsonaro, a federal lawmaker living in the US, of engaging in “conduct intended to interfere with the criminal proceedings.”In a statement, Eduardo Bolsonaro denied wrongdoing: “I never aimed at interfering in any ongoing proceedings in Brazil.” He argued that his conversations with his father, cited in the investigation, were “absolutely normal” and their disclosure showed “political bias.”Police investigation revealed private exchanges between the father and the son. Conversations revealed discussions about publicly praising US President Donald Trump in hopes of influencing legal outcomes in Brazil. Last month, Trump imposed 50% tariffs on certain Brazilian exports, linking his decision to the ongoing trial against Bolsonaro. US also imposed sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, accusing him of a politically motivated trial against former President Jair Bolsonaro.The 70-year-old Jair Bolsonaro risks a prison sentence of 40 years and political banishment if found guilty of seeking to wrest power from current president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after losing in the elections.
