World
US grants visas to Flávio Bolsonaro after Brazil travel ban
The case now tests whether Brazil can enforce court orders abroad.
The case now tests whether Brazil can enforce court orders abroad.
Flávio Bolsonaro’s defeat by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is testing Brazil’s courts and its relationship with the United States. Bolsonaro lost the runoff by more than four percentage points. He was then ordered to surrender his regular, diplomatic and other passports within 24 hours. The order also barred him from leaving Brazil, alerted border officials and limited contact with lawyer . The restrictions came amid inquiries into corruption, money laundering, tax evasion and alleged transfers linked to . The deadline passed, and reports said his passports were canceled, but officials had no formal record of his departure. His reported move to the United States remains disputed. Losing legal protection from his could make charges easier to bring. Washington’s visas for him and his family have made the case both a legal and diplomatic dispute.
A senior official said the United States would issue s to Bolsonaro and his family and allow them to enter the country. The announcement did not establish that Bolsonaro had already entered the United States or confirm the reports about his departure. Washington’s decision added a diplomatic dimension to a Brazilian judicial case involving alleged corruption, money laundering, tax evasion, and possible betting-related fund transfers.
Multiple media outlets reported that Flávio Bolsonaro traveled to the United States after failing to surrender his passports under a Brazilian court order. Brazilian Federal Police said there was no formal record of his departure through , leaving the route and official confirmation unclear.
The 24-hour deadline to surrender the passports expired without clear public confirmation that Bolsonaro had complied. Brazilian authorities reportedly canceled his Brazilian and diplomatic passports after the deadline passed. Police sources said they had no formal record of his departure from Brazil, leaving his physical whereabouts unresolved.
Moraes ordered authorities to enter a for Bolsonaro and restrict his international travel. The justice also barred Bolsonaro from communicating with lawyer Willer Tomaz, who was being investigated alongside him for suspected money laundering. The measures were intended to limit foreign travel and contact between people linked to the investigation.
Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his regular, diplomatic, and any other passports within 24 hours. The order also barred him from leaving Brazil and was linked to investigations into suspected money laundering and alleged illegal transfers abroad involving . The court order was issued after the election but was presented as a measure tied to the investigations, not to the election result itself.
Flávio Bolsonaro lost the presidential runoff to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by more than four percentage points. The defeat ended the election campaign and left Bolsonaro facing the loss of after the election. It also preceded intensified judicial action in active corruption, money-laundering, and tax-evasion investigations.