Brazil, Brasilia
AP
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Brazilian federal police said the message found on the phone of former president Jia Bolsonaro said he once wanted to flee to Argentina and demand political asylum, according to documents seen by the Associated Press.
Bolsonaro is currently awaiting a Supreme Court decision on the suspect in the coup, and learned that he might face another case as police officially accused him and one of his sons, Eduardo Bolsonaro, of obstructing obstruction of justice in connection with his trial.
According to a 170-page report, Bolsonaro drafted a request for political asylum from the government of Argentine President Javier Mairei on February 10, 2024.
Near that date, Bolsonaro apparently spent two nights at the Hungarian embassy in Brasilia, spurring speculation that he might have been trying to avoid an arrest.
The Argentine conspiracy was part of a wider police charge of obstruction of justice, and Bolsonaro is said to have ignored the precautions established for his home arrest and ignored the allies “to directly attack Brazil’s democratic system, especially the Supreme Court, and even the Brazilian Parliament.”
The AP reviewed police evidence, including messaging app exchanges and voice messages, after police forwarded the documents to Brazil’s Supreme Court. If the Attorney General decides to file charges against him, Bolsonaro will face another trial.
Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who overseen the case, gave Bolsonaro’s lawyers 48 hours and explained why the former president failed to comply with other precautions for home arrests, including seeking political asylum in Argentina and avoiding contact with people outside of his family circle.
In a 33-page letter to Mairay, Bolsonaro argued that he was being politically persecuted in Brazil. Both are solid supporters of US President Donald Trump, who recently repeated some of the former president’s claims in his decision to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian exports.
“I, Gere Messias Bolsonaro, found myself in a situation of Brazil’s political persecution and fear of my life, so I am requesting political asylum from your Excellency in the Republic of Argentina under an urgent regime,” the former Brazilian leader wrote.
Bolsonaro seized his passport in Brazil’s Supreme Court on February 8, 2024. He has repeatedly tried to get that back, including before Trump took office earlier this year. De Moraes rejected all requests as the former president is considered a flight risk.
Milei spokesman Manuel Adorni said the Argentine government has yet to receive anything. Bolsonaro did not comment on the investigation.
The former Brazilian president attended Miley’s inauguration in December 2023, but President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva did not attend. Lula and Mairay have been in a chilly relationship since right-wing Argentina took over.
The highly popular evangelical pastor Cyrus Malafire, a stubborn ally of Bolsonaro, seized his passport and cell phone by investigators, but was not formally accused of obstructing justice.
Brazilian federal police have gathered several messages between Bolsonaro and his son, where they have expressed interest in praise of Trump for affecting legal proceedings in his hometown.
“If the guy here turns his back on you, there’s no time to turn things around, everything here is very troublesome.
“In today’s situation, you don’t even have to worry about prisons. You won’t be arrested. But I’m worried that there will be changes here (in the US). Even within the White House, “Trump, Brazil is gone. Let’s move on,” Eduardo Bolsonaro said.
Previously, Eduardo Bolsonaro said in a statement that “it was never intended to interfere in an ongoing lawsuit in Brazil.” He added that the conversation with his father, part of the investigation, is “absolutely normal,” and that the publication is politically biased.
Some exchanges also show lethal friction between father and son. Eduardo, who moved to the US earlier this year despite sitting in Brazil’s parliament, calls Bolsonaro “ungrateful” for his efforts to affect the Trump administration.
Eduardo Bolsonaro also asks his father to “act responsibly,” so he doesn’t have to stay that long in the US.
Eduardo Bolsonaro also said he secured the support of the US government “very difficult” by claiming that he and his ally Paulo Figuered were the only ones with access to the White House. He also told his father that Trump’s pressure was the only chance Bolsonaro had to avoid prison.
“The world’s most powerful man is by your side. We’ve done our part,” Eduardo wrote in text on July 10th.
Brazilian federal police also challenged Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees the investigation into the former president, to also investigate conversations between Bolsonaro and Martin de Luca, lawyers for the video platform Rumble and Trump Media Group. De Luca sent out information from the former president regarding Rumble’s lawsuit against US de Moraise
On July 14, de Luca wrote to Bolsonaro, saying that he had received interview requests from the US media for the former president. That same day, Bolsonaro sent an audio message to De Luca, seeking his advice.
“I drafted a memo. I think I sent it to you in four short paragraphs. It’s a good thing, I admire Trump and say freedom is far more important than economic issues,” Bolsonaro said. “I was really pleased with Trump. I am very grateful to him. Please guide me with a short statement from your side.
The coup trial’s ruling and ruling comes from the five-person Supreme Court panel. They are expected to announce the ruling between September 2nd and 12th. The new findings are not part of that decision.
Prosecutors say Bolsonaro and several of his allies led criminal organizations that planned to overturn the election, including a plan to kill Lula and de Moraes.
