Brazilian federal police have filed a 170-page report to the supreme court accusing former president Jair Bolsonaro of planning to flee to Argentina to seek political asylum. The document, discovered on Bolsonaro’s mobile phone on 8 February 2024, two days after his passport was seized, allegedly outlines a request for asylum addressed to Argentine President Javier Milei. The undated letter describes Bolsonaro as a ‘politically persecuted person’ facing ‘unjust, illegal, arbitrary and unconstitutional’ arrest.
Bolsonaro, who denies charges of plotting a military coup to overturn the 2022 election result, faces a possible jail term of more than 40 years when the supreme court convenes next month. Police allege the asylum plan was designed to ‘prevent the law being enforced’. An Argentine government source has confirmed that Milei’s office did not receive the letter.
In a separate development, federal police formally accused Bolsonaro and his congressman son Eduardo of attempting to interfere in the former president’s trial by lobbying US officials. Eduardo, who moved to the US in February, has reportedly influenced the Trump administration to impose tariffs and sanctions on Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who presides over the case. Eight of Brazil’s 11 supreme court judges, along with family members of a government minister, have had their US visas revoked.
Evangelical pastor Silas Malafaia, a vocal supporter of Bolsonaro, was questioned by police upon returning from Portugal and has been banned from leaving the country or communicating with Bolsonaro and his son. The police report also reveals internal WhatsApp exchanges among Bolsonaro’s allies, exposing infighting as the trial approaches.
