of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) on Thursday rejected former President Jair Bolsonaro's request for permission to leave the country to attend President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.
The ruling was handed down by “fake news promoter” Judge Alexandre de Moraes, hours after Brazil's Attorney General's Office (PGR) recommended that Bolsonaro's passport not be returned. Socialist government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva prohibited Bolsonaro is set to leave the country in February 2024 as part of a broader investigation into allegations of a “coup” plot following his narrow defeat in the 2022 presidential election. Bolsonaro and 36 others officially was indicted In November, he was charged with plotting a coup and poisoning Lula.
in him rulingMr. de Moraes argued that Mr. Bolsonaro had not provided sufficient documentation to prove that he had been invited to the January 20 inauguration ceremony. The Supreme Court Justice further said: claimed Bolsonaro has “indicated” he may flee the country and apply for political asylum, the statement said.
“The scenario justifying the imposition of an exit ban with the return of a passport continues to suggest that the indicted President Messias Bolsonaro may seek to evade the application of criminal law,” the judgment said.
After allegedly receiving an invitation to attend President-elect Trump's inauguration, Bolsonaro requested an exemption from the travel ban that would allow him to travel to the United States, through his legal team. Weeks before his passport was confiscated, Bolsonaro traveled to Argentina in December 2023 to attend a ceremony with President Javier Millay. inauguration ceremony. He returned to Brazil without incident.
De Moraes responded to Bolsonaro's request over the weekend to provide additional evidence that he had received an invitation to Trump's inauguration, and his son Eduardo Bolsonaro, a member of the Brazilian congress, sent an email to Mr. He questioned the origin of the invitation he was said to have received. The court noted that the invitation was sent from the following email address: T47inaugural.comthe official website of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee.
In addition, Mr. de Moraes forwarded a request to the Attorney General's Office to issue an opinion on the matter before the Supreme Court issues its final judgment. On behalf of his father Eduardo Bolsonaro asked a question In response, President de Moraes accused Brazil's Supreme Court justices of blocking the former president's request through a “highly bureaucratic procedure.”
Brazil's Attorney General Paulo Gone responded to Mr. de Moraes on Wednesday by opposing the request. Gone argued in his book: response The trip was intended to “satisfy Bolsonaro's private interests” and not the “public interest” that could justify the former president playing a prominent role in the inauguration of the leader of Brazil's most powerful ally. claimed that it did not exist.
“The desired travel is intended to meet the applicant's personal interests and is not required. The application states that international travel is in the applicant's vital interest and that there is a public interest that opposes the applicant's departure.” “There is no evidence that it is possible to invalidate the
“The circumstances described do not reveal a fundamental, urgent and undeniable need that would allow an exemption from the Remain in Brazil order, which was considered on public policy grounds,” the document continued.
Gone also expressed that it is “pointless” to point out that Bolsonaro is not in a position to “grant the status of Brazil's official representative to attend official ceremonies in the United States.”
“The measures to withhold the passport are clearly aimed at preventing the applicant from leaving the country and are aimed at satisfying any criminal investigation and application of criminal law,” Gonet wrote.
“The precautionary measures are therefore based on public order reasons, with the aim of preserving the substantial public interest in the context of the resulting criminal investigation,” he continued.
Neither former President Jair Bolsonaro, his son Eduardo, nor members of Bolsonaro's legal team have publicly commented on de Moraes' sentence as of press time.
Christian K. Caruso is a Venezuelan writer who chronicles life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.