On 27th October (Tuesday), Flavio Bolsonaro landed in Florida, violating a judicial order mandating that he surrender his passports. He fled Brazil after losing the presidential election to 80-year-old Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and has been under investigation for corruption. Flavio is the son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro.
According to a senior State Department official, Flavio and his family members have been granted US visas. Afterwards, he met Eduardo Bolsonaro, his brother, who is currently living in self-imposed exile in the country. Flavio was banned from travel by the Supreme Court following his unsuccessful campaign against incumbent President Lula.
The court order, which is connected to an ongoing criminal probe, came just hours after Lula was re-elected on 25th October. Flavio’s passports were revoked by Brazil’s federal police after he failed to turn in the travel documents by Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, allies claimed to be unaware of his whereabouts. His wife and two daughters have also escaped to the US.
His legal troubles are the result of two different inquiries, including a connection to the mastermind behind a $10 billion bank collapse and involvement in a money laundering scheme in relation to the country’s betting industry, which also revolves around his friend.
Flavio has reportedly been an Italian citizen since 2023 and possesses the country’s passport. He was afraid that he might be arrested in a week. “He is well. He is aware that he had to leave to continue the fight against tyranny or else he’d be a political prisoner,” a source told The Washington Post. Brazilian officials attempted to caution the United States against hosting him, as the extradition pact between the two countries would apply if he were found guilty of money laundering.
Lula, who celebrated his birthday on Tuesday, also responded to the development, lashing out, “This is what the Bolsonaro family is like. Brazil is their second homeland. Their first homeland is licking the boots of the US, as he’s become accustomed to doing. I keep imagining what’s on the conscience of a citizen who just lost the elections and flees his country. He who owes nothing, fears nothing. A citizen who sneaks out of his country owes something. The act of leaving Brazil is shameful.”
On the other hand, President Donald Trump expressed that he approved of their decision, “Well, I would approve. I think they’re fine people. The election was very strange, and I thought it was terrible. It’s gotten bad reviews. You look at what happened to their market. I think it’s so terrible to see it. I didn’t take sides, you know. I know them both. I know Lula. I know Flavio a little bit. I know the father very well. The father was treated really badly. I thought, but I wasn’t involved. That’s Brazil. It’s a different country.”
Flavio, who is yet to concede defeat, had a 24-hour window to turn in his passports, which were cancelled after the deadline lapsed as the Supreme Court highlighted his “significant financial resources” and the possibility that he would get away from Brazil, reported Reuters.
“I have never thought about leaving the country. I will hand over my passports and defend myself against this travesty, which is a clear attempt to intimidate me,” he had assured. It’s unknown how Flavio arrived in the United States and was suspected of crossing the border with the intention of flying to the country.
Alexandre de Moraes, the Supreme Court judge who issued the latest order, also convicted Jair Bolsonaro last year. He was charged with organising a coup after losing an election to Lula in 2022, and is serving a 27-year sentence. He is presently at home on health grounds. Eduardo Bolsonaro, who stays in Texas, was found guilty this year of trying to obstruct his father’s prosecution.
