By GABRIELA S. PESSOA and Maurice Savarese
Brazil (AP) BRASILIA According to documents seen by the Associated Press on Wednesday, communications discovered on the phone of embattled former President Jair Bolsonaro indicate that he had considered escaping to Argentina and applying for political asylum, according to Brazil’s federal police.
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Police have officially accused Bolsonaro and one of his sons of obstructing justice in connection with his pending trial, and he may face additional charges as he awaits a Supreme Court decision next month about an alleged coup attempt.
The police inquiry was made available to the AP, who examined the materials before sending them to the Supreme Court of Brazil. An AP request for comment was not answered by the Argentine government.
Police also targeted Silas Malafaia, an evangelical pastor and Bolsonaro’s ardent ally. Investigators confiscated his passport, but he was not charged with obstructing justice.
In a 170-page report, Brazilian federal police investigators said that Bolsonaro obtained a draft of a request for political asylum from the government of Argentine President Javier Milei dated February 10, 2024. Two days after police raided his office and residence in connection with a suspected coup attempt, the former president preserved the document.
Bolsonaro claimed he was the victim of political persecution in Brazil in a 33-page letter to Milei.
Since I am facing political persecution in Brazil and fear for my life, I, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, humbly request political shelter from Your Excellency in the Republic of Argentina, under an immediate regime, the Brazilian leader wrote.
Critics speculated that Bolsonaro might have been trying to evade arrest when he reportedly spent two nights at the Hungarian Embassy in Brasil on February 12.
In their report, Brazilian federal police investigators also stated that Bolsonaro’s choice to disseminate content to his allies and disregard the precautions put in place for his house arrest was intended to directly harm Brazilian democratic institutions, particularly the Supreme Court and even the Brazilian Congress.
From Sao Paulo, S. Pessoa provided a report.
