Flávio Bolsonaro reportedly flees Brazil for US after travel ban

RIO DE JANEIRO and BUENOS AIRES (CN) — Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro may have fled the country after Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes barred him from traveling abroad, following his defeat to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Sunday’s presidential runoff.The travel ban was imposed as part of a criminal investigation into Bolsonaro’s ties to Willer Tomaz, a lawyer and longtime friend suspected of money laundering. De Moraes also ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passports within 24 hours and barred him from contacting Tomaz.The court order remains under seal, but Bolsonaro himself confirmed the restrictions in a video posted on social media. Bolsonaro failed to surrender his passports by the Tuesday morning deadline, according to Brazilian media reports. Federal police were expected to notify De Moraes of his failure to comply with the order.According to Brazilian and Argentine media reports, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro crossed into Argentina on foot and was expected to board a private plane for the United States.Brazil’s Federal Police have not confirmed Bolsonaro’s whereabouts. Argentine immigration authorities said early Tuesday there were “no records whatsoever of Flávio Bolsonaro entering the Argentine Republic,” nor any flight plans involving the Bolsonaro family.The Argentine presidential spokesman also denied knowledge of any Bolsonaro requesting asylum.Bolsonaro faces at least two criminal investigations before Brazil’s Supreme Court. In the case involving Tomaz, Federal Police investigators identified suspected financial ties between the two men after examining a phone seized from the lawyer during an investigation into fraud involving Brazil’s social security system. The findings included records suggesting Bolsonaro had access to a bank account associated with one of Tomaz’s companies. Both have denied wrongdoing.A separate investigation concerns suspected financial irregularities involving Daniel Vorcaro, the former owner of Banco Master, a Brazilian bank shut down by regulators in November 2025 amid charges of financial fraud. Vorcaro has been held in pretrial detention since March.Investigators are examining a proposed $24 million contribution to “Dark Horse,” a film about Bolsonaro’s father, as part of a probe into possible corruption, money laundering and foreign exchange violations. Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing, saying the film was privately financed.The senator’s legal troubles come as he prepares to leave elected office for the first time in 24 years. His Senate term ends in January, leaving him without a parliamentary mandate as of February. Under a 2025 Supreme Court ruling, however, investigations involving suspected crimes committed in connection with public office can remain before the court even after a politician’s term ends.Renato Vieira, a criminal defense lawyer and former president of the Brazilian Institute of Criminal Sciences, said travel restrictions are precautionary measures intended to protect criminal investigations.“Fleeing could indicate an intention to avoid serving a potential sentence,” Vieira said.If Bolsonaro has left the country, Brazilian authorities could seek international police cooperation through Interpol to locate him, although any arrest or extradition would require additional legal procedures.Rodrigo Brandão, a constitutional law professor at Rio de Janeiro State University, said evidence that Bolsonaro attempted to flee after learning of the court order could seriously weaken his legal position and strengthen the grounds for seeking pretrial detention. He stressed the investigations remain at an early stage and that the senator’s guilt or innocence has yet to be determined.Brazil’s Constitution generally prohibits the arrest of members of Congress except when they are caught committing a crime for which bail is unavailable. In such cases, the relevant legislative chamber must review the detention. Brandão said the application of these protections to pretrial detention remains legally contested.Bolsonaro also holds an Italian passport, according to Brandão, who noted that Brazilian authorities can order the surrender of foreign travel documents but cannot revoke them, since they are issued by another country. De Moraes’ order included any foreign passports the senator might hold, media reported.Rodrigo Stumpf González, a political science professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, said a confirmed attempt to flee could jeopardize Bolsonaro’s political future.“Given his electoral performance, he would have been the natural leader of the opposition. But if he leaves the country, he will not only destroy his political career but also damage the family’s reputation, hurting his brothers and stepmother, who were elected to Congress,” González said.González said Bolsonaro’s most loyal supporters would likely interpret his departure as evidence of political persecution, even though he currently faces criminal investigations rather than formal charges. He noted that Bolsonaro’s party has already begun distancing itself from that narrative by recognizing the election results.“In Brazil, fleeing is generally seen as an admission of guilt. Lula accepted imprisonment knowing that the alternative would be the end of his political career,” González said. “Unlike during the dictatorship, the idea that fleeing is a way to escape a threat is no longer accepted today. Despite scandals involving some judges, the judiciary still enjoys a reasonable degree of public trust.”Bolsonaro’s brother Eduardo Bolsonaro moved to the United States in March 2025, initially saying he feared having his passport seized. He subsequently lost his seat in Brazil’s lower house for missing congressional sessions and was sentenced to four years and two months in prison for attempting to interfere with judicial proceedings against his father. Earlier this month, Moraes issued an arrest warrant and ordered Eduardo Bolsonaro’s passports canceled.Their father also explored the possibility of seeking asylum abroad. In August 2025, Federal Police investigators found a draft request for political asylum in Argentina addressed to President Javier Milei on his phone. Jair Bolsonaro spent two nights at the Hungarian Embassy in Brasília in February 2024, shortly after authorities seized his passport. De Moraes later concluded there was insufficient evidence that the embassy visit constituted an attempt to flee.Bolsonaro and Milei, Argentina’s far-right president, kept a close alliance over the last months. Milei supported Bolsonaro during his campaign, and even wielded his trademark chainsaw during the Liberal Party convention in São Paulo.Meanwhile, Milei has called Lula, Brazil’s president, a “convict,” and “totalitarian.” Recently, his statements led the Lula administration to downgrade ties with Argentina, one of its most influential neighbors and trade partners.Milei’s government did not issue any statement following Lula’s win Sunday, making Argentina the only country in Latin America that failed to acknowledge the victory. “President Milei is no hypocrite,” said Ravier, the spokesman, at a news conference Tuesday. “The ideological distance between the two leaders is real.”Courthouse News reporters Marília Marasciulo, based in Brazil, and Lucía Cholakian Herrera, based in Argentina, contributed.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads