President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Tuesday (Oct. 27) called Senator Flávio Bolsonaro's trip to the United States a "shameful act", two days after defeating him in the presidential runoff. Speaking to supporters on his 81st birthday, Lula said that "those who owe nothing have nothing to fear" and suggested his rival left the country with a guilty conscience, according to InfoMoney. The senator landed in Florida with his family and has reportedly already met his brother, former congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, sources told BBC News Brasil.
Flávio's departure lays out an international chessboard with clear interests on each side. The administration of Donald Trump told the BBC, even before the senator's arrival was confirmed, that it would grant visas to him and his family; a senior State Department official confirmed the plan to Reuters. Eduardo Bolsonaro has lived in the United States since March 2025, received a green card in July and was sentenced by Brazil's Supreme Court (STF, in the Portuguese acronym) to 4 years and 2 months in prison for lobbying on American soil against the trial of his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro. On Tuesday, Trump again claimed, without presenting evidence, that there was fraud in the Brazilian election, according to G1.
What it means for Brazil
For the Brazilian government, the episode tightens the judicial squeeze around the opposition's most prominent figure. Flávio ignored a deadline set by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes to hand his passports over to the Federal Police by noon on Tuesday. The order, issued on Monday (Oct. 26) within an inquiry into alleged money laundering involving lawyer Willer Tomaz, barred the senator from leaving the country. According to Folha de S.Paulo, Moraes went as far as ordering the cancellation of the documents, a step harsher than seizure. Criminal lawyers interviewed by the BBC say Flávio cannot yet be treated as a fugitive because there is no arrest warrant against him, but experts consulted by Folha say his departure could provide grounds for a preventive detention request.
The inquiry overseen by Moraes targets suspicions tied to digital payment platforms and the betting industry in Rio de Janeiro during the governorship of Flávio's ally Cláudio Castro, who is also a target of the investigation. Folha reports that the senator faces a second Supreme Court inquiry, related to the production of the film "Dark Horse". Flávio and Tomaz deny any wrongdoing.
An Italian passport and an Argentine trail
Flávio obtained Italian citizenship in 2023, which gives him a second passport beyond the reach of the Federal Police: because it is issued by another state, the document cannot be cancelled by Brazilian authorities. His status as an Italian citizen could also complicate a future extradition request, since Italy has traditionally resisted handing over its own citizens to other countries.
His route out of Brazil remains unclear. On Tuesday morning, the Federal Police contacted Argentine authorities after local media reported a private jet operated by Baires Fly, tail number LV-JQW, parked at Puerto Iguazú airport near the Brazilian border. The government of Javier Milei, an ally of the Bolsonaro family, told Brasília there is no official record of the senator entering the country, and Argentina's National Migration Directorate said it found no flight plan under the family's name. Argentine lawmakers, according to G1, have called for an investigation into Flávio's possible passage through the country.
Defeated on Sunday (Oct. 25), when Lula won reelection with 51.79% of the vote and the senator took about 60 million, Flávio initially refused to recognize the result and said he will ask electoral authorities to annul the winning ticket for abuse of power. On the eve of the trip, he recorded a video insisting: "I never thought about leaving the country." In his Tuesday speech, Lula returned the criticism in personal terms, according to G1: "Brazil is his second homeland. His first is licking the boots of the US."