OMM Newsroom
The whereabouts of Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro are unknown after he reportedly failed to hand his passports to police on Tuesday, CNN Brasil reported.
Brazil’s Federal Police canceled Bolsonaro’s passports and are searching for him, according to the CNN affiliate.
Speculation about his movements grew after Argentine news outlet Infobae reported that Bolsonaro had left Brazil through Argentina following his defeat in Sunday’s presidential runoff against leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. CNN said it could not independently verify the report.
The Argentine government said in a statement that it had “no record of Flávio Bolsonaro entering” the country.
Bolsonaro is under investigation by Brazil’s highest court over alleged corruption, money laundering and currency evasion. He denies wrongdoing.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro on Monday to surrender his passports within 24 hours. CNN said it had contacted Bolsonaro, his political party and the Federal Police for comment on his whereabouts.
Bolsonaro said police had informed him of the order in person and told him he was barred from leaving Brazil. In a video posted on “Instagram”, he denied intending to flee.
If Bolsonaro has left Brazil, he would join a large community of Brazilian conservatives in exile, including former Brazilian intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem, podcaster Paulo Figueiredo and his brother Eduardo, who lives in Texas.
Shortly before the runoff, Eduardo suggested that Flávio should leave Brazil if his presidential bid failed. On Tuesday, Eduardo called rumors that his brother had fled a “lie.”
