Brazilian Senator, Flavio Bolsonaro has reportedly left the country for the United States following his defeat in the October 25 presidential election, as the administration of US President Donald Trump confirmed plans to issue visas to him and his family.
A senior US State Department official said the Trump administration would grant visas to the right-wing politician and his family, allowing them to enter the United States.
The announcement came a day after Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passports as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering.
Bolsonaro, who has denied wrongdoing, had previously dismissed suggestions that he would leave Brazil after losing the presidential race.
On Monday, he said he had “never thought about leaving the country” and intended to remain in Brazil to lead the opposition.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticised the senator’s reported departure, describing his actions as shameful.
Speaking in Brasilia during his 81st birthday celebration, Lula said Bolsonaro should have remained in the country to prove his innocence.
“A person who sneaks out of their country must have something to hide,” Lula said, adding that Brazil was the Bolsonaro family’s “second country” while the United States was their first.
“The act of leaving Brazil is shameful.”
The senator, son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, initially refused to accept the election outcome and vowed to seek its annulment.
However, his Liberal Party announced on Monday that it accepted the results of the election, which Bolsonaro lost by more than 4.4 million votes.
Trump also questioned the credibility of the election, telling reporters that it “looked like another rigged election”.
However, no evidence has emerged that the vote was affected by electoral malpractice. Although critics raised concerns about a last-minute extension of polling hours, Lula secured a decisive victory, with the change unlikely to have affected the outcome.
Meanwhile, United States Democratic Representative Joaquin Castro called on the Trump administration to explain whether it had played a role in Bolsonaro’s departure from Brazil.
“Losing an election is not grounds for asylum. Yet the Trump Administration is giving Flavio Bolsonaro safe haven in the United States. In Brazil, he is under investigation for alleged corruption, money laundering and currency evasion, and was ordered to surrender his passports,” Castro said in a social media post.
“The Trump Administration owes Congress answers on its role helping Bolsonaro flee Brazil in contravention of Brazilian law.”
Bolsonaro’s younger brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, who lives in the United States, had previously suggested that Flavio should leave Brazil if he lost the election.
Eduardo was convicted in absentia in June for illegally lobbying the Trump administration.
Speaking during a podcast interview earlier this month, Eduardo said, “If my brother does not win, I’m in favour that he would leave the country,” he told podcaster Steven Crowder.
The developments have heightened political tensions between Brazil and the United States, with questions emerging over the circumstances surrounding the senator’s reported departure and the Trump administration’s decision to grant visas to him and his family.
