Brazilian federal police are searching for right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro after he failed to appear to surrender his passport as ordered by the Supreme Court. Authorities have cancelled the passport, and signs are mounting that he may be attempting to leave the country.
According to the Brazilian newspaper Metropoles, Bolsonaro's whereabouts are unknown. The suspicions against him also relate to an investigation into suspected money laundering, though he denies any wrongdoing.
The possibility that Bolsonaro is trying to reach the United States draws particular interest given a family precedent: his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, left Brazil after refusing to accept his loss to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2022 elections. He later returned to the country and was sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup.
Suspected flight and checks in Argentina
Reports of the senator's disappearance emerged after he lost Sunday's presidential election to Lula, the incumbent left-wing president. Bolsonaro claimed the election results should be annulled due to voting irregularities, but his party announced it recognises Lula's victory.
Meanwhile, Argentine authorities checked reports of a private plane that landed at Iguazu airport, near the border with Brazil. Checks of the aircraft and crew found no record of a flight plan listing members of the Bolsonaro family. The Argentine government said it has no record of the senator entering the country.
Even among his associates, no clear answer has been received. Paulo Figueiredo, a right-wing influencer considered an unofficial spokesman for the family, refused to answer questions about his whereabouts. Another person said he tried to reach Bolsonaro by phone but received no answer.
As of this report, no proof has been presented that Bolsonaro has indeed fled to the United States, and his whereabouts remain unknown. The cancellation of his passport and the searches for him deepen the uncertainty surrounding his next steps, just days after his loss in the election.
