Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who lost Sunday's presidential election to incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was ordered Monday to surrender his passports and barred from leaving the country, according to Brazilian media reports. The move came less than 24 hours after his election defeat.
Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, said federal police officers approached him on a street in Brasília after he visited his father, who is under house arrest following his conviction for attempting a coup. He said the officers informed him that he was required to hand over his passports under an order issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro
(Photo: Pablo PORCIUNCULA / AFP)
The senator claimed the decision was based on remarks made by his brother, former lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, who had suggested that Flavio should leave Brazil if he lost the presidential race. Flavio denied ever planning to flee the country and accused the court of attempting to silence him.
"I will hand over my passports and defend myself against this absurdity, which is a clear attempt to intimidate me," he said in a video posted on social media.
Bolsonaro is the subject of several Supreme Court investigations, including inquiries into suspected money laundering and financial irregularities. He has not been convicted in those cases. Federal police and the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
The passport order follows a closely contested presidential runoff in which Lula secured reelection with 51.79% of the vote, compared with Bolsonaro's 48.21%, according to Brazil's electoral authorities. The result gives Lula a fourth presidential term.
Bolsonaro has refused to concede defeat and challenged the election results, citing a judicial decision to extend voting hours at some polling stations. His allegations have added to political tensions as Brazil enters another period of confrontation between the Bolsonaro family and the country's judiciary.