Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Morais has issued an arrest warrant for former lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, brother of presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro. The ruling obliges federal police to detain him if he returns to the country.
Eduardo Bolsonaro lives in Texas and has permanent residency in the US. In June, he was sentenced to four years in prison for lobbying Donald Trump's administration. According to the indictment, he urged Washington to impose sanctions on members of the Brazilian government and higher tariffs on the country's exports.
In his ruling, de Morais indicated that Bolsonaro should immediately begin serving his sentence. “The accused cannot take advantage of his own offense by leaving the national territory to thwart the application of the criminal law“, the judge said.
Extradition remains unclear
The United States and Brazil have an extradition treaty dating back to 1961, but it is not yet clear whether its terms will be applied in the case of Eduardo Bolsonaro. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to legal analyst Rafael Vieira da Fonseca Rocha, quoted by the Associated Press, the US administration must approve a possible extradition request. He considers such a decision unlikely and admits that the Brazilian court may not undertake such a procedure.
De Morais has also canceled Bolsonaro's Brazilian passport. The judge led the investigation that led to the sentencing of his father, Jair Bolsonaro, to 27 years in prison for attempted coup.
The order comes before the presidential runoff
The decision was announced less than three weeks before the runoff between current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro. Flavio Bolsonaro won the most votes in the first round.
Eduardo Bolsonaro is a key link between his brother and the Trump administration. On May 26, he took Flavio Bolsonaro to the White House to meet with the US president.
Eduardo Bolsonaro is 42 years old. He lived in the US while his father was on trial for attempted coup. The currently confirmed immediate consequence of the court decision is that Bolsonaro could be arrested upon his return to Brazil.
Sources: bta.bg, apnews.com