Flavio Bolsonaro said he left Brazil because he was the victim of "persecution," and accused authorities of the country being under a "regime of exception." The senator who lost the second round of the presidential election made the statement from the United States during a live broadcast on Instagram.
“The persecution began, a little earlier than I expected,“ said Bolsonaro. He said he learned of the impending seizure of his passports after leaving the home of his father, Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a sentence under house arrest.
He said the decision to leave the country was made with his wife, without informing anyone else. "I didn't leave Brazil, I went through Brazil," the senator said, without giving details of how he crossed the border. He asked that no one be held responsible for his trip.
The trip to the United States
Flavio Bolsonaro left Brazil with his wife and their two daughters. According to the Argentine migration service, the family crossed the land border via the bridge between Foz do Iguaçu and Puerto Iguaçu, then continued on a private plane to Ecuador.
From Ecuador, the plane took off for Miami. According to a flight document cited by Agence France-Presse, Bolsonaro used an Italian passport to leave Argentina. Argentine Chief of Staff Diego Santilli said that there were no irregularities in his crossing and that there were no Interpol restrictions.
Departure investigation
Brazilian federal police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the senator's departure. The order to surrender their passports was issued by Judge Alexandre de Moraes as part of a money laundering investigation. Flavio Bolsonaro and lawyer Viller Tomas, who is also involved in the case, deny any wrongdoing.
Brazilian authorities have asked Argentina for explanations about possible assistance in the trip. Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Kirno denied that there was any such request, and Buenos Aires rejected the allegations of irregularities.
Bolsonaro accused De Moraes of unduly involving him in the investigation. The allegation is part of his political position and does not constitute an established judicial fact. The senator remains the subject of investigations related to corruption and money laundering, and the charges against him have not been confirmed by a final verdict.
Sources: noticias.uol.com.br, agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br, cnnbrasil.com.br