Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro, briefly allowed out of home arrest for medical exams, leaves a hospital in Brasília, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. (AP Photograph/Eraldo Peres)
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BRASILIA, Brazil — Brazil’s federal police mentioned messages discovered on the phone of former President Jair Bolsonaro confirmed he as soon as wished to flee to Argentina and request political asylum, based on paperwork seen Wednesday by The Related Press.
Bolsonaro is at the moment awaiting a Supreme Court docket ruling about an alleged coup try and realized Wednesday he may face one other case as police formally accused him and one among his sons, Eduardo Bolsonaro, of obstruction of justice in connection along with his trial.
The 170-page report mentioned Bolsonaro had drafted a request for political asylum from Argentine President Javier Milei’s authorities dated Feb. 10, 2024. He saved the doc two days after authorities searched his dwelling and workplace as a part of the alleged coup plot investigation.
Near that date, Bolsonaro admittedly spent two nights on the Hungarian Embassy in Brasília, fueling hypothesis he might have been making an attempt to keep away from arrest.
The Argentina plot is a part of the broader police accusation of obstruction of justice, through which Bolsonaro has allegedly ignored precautionary measures established for his home arrest and unfold content material to his allies “to immediately hit Brazilian democratic establishments, notably the Supreme Court docket and even Brazil’s Congress,” based on the report.
The AP reviewed the police proof, which included messaging app exchanges and voice messages, after police forwarded the paperwork to Brazil’s Supreme Court docket. Bolsonaro would face one other trial if the attorney-general decides to cost him.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees the case, gave Bolsonaro’s attorneys 48 hours to elucidate why the previous president sought political asylum in Argentina and did not adjust to different precautionary measures of his home arrest, resembling avoiding contact with folks exterior his household circle.
Asylum in Argentina
In a 33-page letter addressed to Milei, Bolsonaro claimed he was being politically persecuted in Brazil. Each are staunch supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has not too long ago repeated a few of the former president’s claims in his choice to impose 50% tariffs on Brazilian exports.
“I, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, request political asylum from Your Excellency within the Republic of Argentina, underneath an pressing regime, as I discover myself in a state of affairs of political persecution in Brazil and worry for my life,” the previous Brazilian chief wrote.
Bolsonaro had his passport seized by Brazil’s Supreme Court docket in on Feb. 8, 2024. He has repeatedly sought to get it again, together with previous to Trump’s inauguration earlier this yr. De Moraes rejected all requests as the previous president is seen as a flight threat.
Manuel Adorni, spokesperson for Milei, mentioned the Argentine authorities hasn’t obtained something but. Bolsonaro didn’t remark in regards to the investigation.
The previous Brazilian president attended Milei’s inauguration in December 2023, whereas the serving President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva didn’t attend. Lula and Milei have had a frosty relationship because the right-wing Argentine took workplace.
Silas Malafaia, a highly regarded evangelical pastor who’s a staunch ally of Bolsonaro’s, had his passport and cellular phone seized by investigators however was not formally accused of obstruction of justice.
Praising Trump
Brazil’s federal police gathered a number of messages between Bolsonaro and his son through which they present curiosity in praising Trump to have an effect on authorized proceedings again dwelling.
“You will not have time to reverse the state of affairs if the man right here turns his again on you. Every thing right here may be very sensitive, each little factor impacts you,” Eduardo Bolsonaro advised his father in one of many exchanges.
“In at the moment’s state of affairs, you do not even want to fret about jail; you will not be arrested. However I am afraid issues will change right here (in america). Even contained in the White Home, there are folks telling (Trump): ‘OK, Brazil is gone. Let’s transfer on’,” Eduardo Bolsonaro mentioned.
Earlier, Eduardo Bolsonaro mentioned in a press release that he “by no means geared toward interfering in any ongoing proceedings in Brazil.” He added the conversations along with his father which are a part of the investigation are “completely regular” and its publication has a political bias.
Some exchanges additionally present frictions sauced with expletives between father and son. Eduardo, who moved to the U.S. earlier this yr regardless of holding a seat in Brazil’s congress, calls Bolsonaro “ungrateful” for his efforts to affect the Trump administration of their favor.
Eduardo Bolsonaro additionally asks his father to “ACT RESPONSIBLY” so he would not have to stay for much longer within the U.S.
Avoiding jail
Eduardo Bolsonaro additionally mentioned he had secured U.S. authorities assist “with nice problem,” claiming that he and an ally, Paulo Figueiredo, have been the one ones with entry to the White Home. He additionally advised his father that Trump’s strain was the one probability Bolsonaro needed to keep away from jail.
“Essentially the most highly effective man on the planet is in your facet. We did our half,” Eduardo texted on July 10.
Brazil’s federal police additionally investigated conversations between Bolsonaro and Martin de Luca, a lawyer for video platform Rumble and the Trump Media Group in a case difficult Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees the investigations in opposition to the previous president. De Luca despatched the previous president details about Rumble’s lawsuit in opposition to de Moraes within the U.S.
On July 14, De Luca wrote to Bolsonaro, saying he was receiving interview requests from U.S. media for the previous president. That very same day, Bolsonaro despatched De Luca a voice message searching for his recommendation.
“I drafted a observe, I feel I despatched it to you, with 4 quick paragraphs. It’s good, praising Trump, saying that freedom is rather more vital than financial points,” Bolsonaro mentioned. “I used to be actually proud of Trump, very grateful to him. Please information me with a brief assertion out of your facet, so I can submit it on my channels and ship it again to you.”
A verdict and sentence within the coup trial will come from a Supreme Court docket panel of 5 justices. They’re scheduled to announce their rulings between Sept. 2 and 12. The brand new findings is not going to be a part of that call.
Prosecutors say Bolsonaro and several other of his allies headed a legal group that plotted to overturn the election, together with plans to kill Lula and de Moraes.
