Brazil Cancels Passports of Flávio Bolsonaro After He Fails to Surrender Them
The defeated presidential candidate is under investigation for alleged money laundering and barred from leaving Brazil.
Police in Brazil have canceled the passports of Flávio Bolsonaro, the right-wing presidential candidate who recently lost his bid for the presidency, after he failed to comply with a court order to surrender the documents.
The Supreme Court had ordered Bolsonaro to hand over his passports within 24 hours as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering, which he denies. At the time of the order, Bolsonaro stated he had no plans to leave Brazil and intended to lead the opposition against the newly elected president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The deadline has since passed without the senator surrendering the documents, leading to speculation about his whereabouts. Federal officers are reportedly checking border crossings to determine if Bolsonaro may have traveled to neighboring Argentina. However, Argentine authorities have stated there is no record of him entering the country.
Flávio Bolsonaro is also under investigation for alleged corruption related to the financing of a film about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro. Additionally, the Supreme Court ordered a probe into Bolsonaro's electoral campaign over accusations of foreign funding.
Bolsonaro suffered a defeat in the presidential runoff election on Sunday, where he was beaten by Lula. Despite opinion polls suggesting he might win, Lula secured 51.79% of the vote compared to Bolsonaro's 48.21%. Bolsonaro has not conceded the election and has called for its annulment, citing a perceived disadvantage due to a two-hour extension of polling on election day, an extension that was requested by both his party and that of his rival. His party, the Liberal Party, has accepted the election result but stated that the extension of voting merits investigation.