Brazil court orders Flávio Bolsonaro to surrender passports

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Oct. 26 ordered Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro to surrender his passports within 24 hours and stay in Brazil, one day after Bolsonaro lost the presidential runoff to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The order cancels Bolsonaro’s ordinary and diplomatic passports, bars him from leaving the country and prohibits contact with a lawyer who is also under investigation, according to dpa, the German news agency, citing a ruling reported by Brazil’s G1 news site. Bolsonaro, 45, has not been charged with a crime.

Lula won the Oct. 25 runoff with about 51.8 per cent of the vote to Bolsonaro’s 48.2 per cent, according to the electoral court, as dpa reported. Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party has acknowledged the result, but Bolsonaro has said he will ask the electoral court to challenge Lula’s win over alleged misuse of state resources. We reported on the runoff result and Bolsonaro’s initial rejection on Oct. 25.

The Supreme Court inquiry concerns suspected money laundering and currency evasion, the Rio Times reported. The case is under seal. Federal police have said evidence suggests a link between Bolsonaro and a bank account belonging to a company tied to the lawyer, dpa reported. A separate probe is examining possible corruption and money laundering in the financing of “Dark Horse,” a film about his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro denies any link to the bank account and any wrongdoing in the film case. In a video posted on social media, he said he would comply with the order. “I never considered leaving the country. I will surrender my passports and fight this absurdity,” he said, according to dpa. He described the measure as intimidation.

Bolsonaro said the order appears to rest on a remark by his brother Eduardo Bolsonaro, who lives in the United States, that Flávio should leave Brazil if he lost. Flávio Bolsonaro said he never said that, the Rio Times reported. Eduardo Bolsonaro was sentenced to four years in prison and faces an open arrest warrant in Brazil, the Rio Times said.

Reports differ on whether Bolsonaro had already handed in his passports by Tuesday. The Supreme Court press office said it had no information, and it is not clear who requested the measure, how long it will last or whether Bolsonaro will appeal.

Reaction from Washington has been mixed. Trump adviser Peter Navarro called the Brazilian result a “cautionary tale for the midterms,” and President Donald Trump said the election looked “rigged” but that he gets along with Lula “very well,” Just Security’s morning roundup of Reuters and Politico reporting said.

The case matters beyond Brazil. Brazil is Latin America’s largest economy, and the court’s moves against the losing candidate’s family will shape whether the country’s deeply divided politics settle after the vote. Lula takes office on Jan. 1, 2027.

Canada and Brazil are trading partners, and Canadian mining, energy and agriculture companies operate in Brazil. Canadian travellers should check the Government of Canada’s Brazil travel advice for current conditions. Related Latin American court developments include an Argentine judge’s decision to drop the LIBRA case against President Javier Milei.

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Via dpa and the Rio Times.