BrazilAccording to documents obtained by the Associated Press on Wednesday, texts discovered on the phone of embattled former president Jair Bolsonaroshowed that he had once considered escaping to Argentina and applying for political asylum, according to Brazil’s federal police.
In conjunction with his pending trial, police officially accused Bolsonaro and one of his sons, Eduardo Bolsonaro, of obstruction of justice. Bolsonaro is presently awaiting a Supreme Court verdict regarding an alleged coup attempt and learned on Wednesday that he may be facing another case.
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The AP examined the materials that were submitted to Brazil’s Supreme Court and had access to the police investigation, voice communications, and messaging app interactions.
According to the 170-page police investigation, on February 10, 2024, Bolsonaro wrote a request for political asylum from the government of Argentine President Javier Milei. Two days after police raided his house and workplace in connection with a suspected coup plot, Bolsonaro preserved the document.
Bolsonaro claimed he was the victim of political persecution in Brazil in a 33-page letter to Milei.
As I am facing political persecution in Brazil and fear for my life, I, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, submit an urgent request for political asylum from Your Excellency in the Republic of Argentina, the former Brazilian leader wrote.
A request for response was not immediately answered by Argentina’s presidential spokesperson. Bolsonaro also refrained from commenting on the probe.
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.
Eduardo Bolsonaro, a politician who has resided in the United States, stated in a statement that he never intended to meddle in any existing proceedings in Brazil in response to Wednesday’s claims of obstruction of justice. He went on to say that the discussions he had with his father as part of the probe are perfectly normal, and that there is a political slant in its disclosure.
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.
Bolsonaro and his son’s interest in complimenting US President Donald Trump to influence Brazilian legal procedures is evident in a number of messages they exchanged. Trump placed a 50% duty on a few Brazilian commodities last month, citing the former president’s trial as the primary justification.
If the guy here ignores you, you won’t have time to change the situation. During one of the conversations, Eduardo Bolsonaro told his father, “Everything here is very touchy, every little thing affects you.”
You won’t get arrested in the current scenario, so you don’t even need to worry about going to jail. However, I fear that things will change in our country (the US). Some even tell Trump, “Okay, Brazil is gone,” within the White House. According to Eduardo Bolsonaro, let’s move on.
Some conversations also reveal tensions between parent and son that are laced with profanity. Despite having a seat in the Brazilian assembly, Eduardo, who immigrated to the United States earlier this year, called Bolsonaro ungrateful for his attempts to sway the Trump administration in their favor.
In order to avoid having to stay in the United States for very long, Eduardo Bolsonaro also requests that his father ACT RESPONSIBLY.
From Sao Paulo, S. Pessoa reported.
This article was contributed to from Buenos Aires by AP correspondent Isabel DeBre.
