Flávio Bolsonaro has reportedly fled to the United States amid ongoing investigations by Brazilian authorities into alleged financial crimes connected to betting companies.
The Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued an order requiring Bolsonaro to surrender his civilian and diplomatic passports and prohibited him from leaving Brazil. These actions were prompted by a request from the Federal Police as part of an investigation into allegations of money laundering and tax evasion.
Bolsonaro is said to have a concealed partnership in betting houses tied to financial crimes alongside lawyer Willer Tomaz, who is himself under investigation.
On Tuesday, Bolsonaro's allies were informed that he had departed for the US.
The investigations reveal that both Bolsonaro and Tomaz were named as master users of an account at Santander Bank. Despite their denials, the Federal Police found a message from Tomaz requesting to have Bolsonaro removed from the master user credentials. Tomaz is the primary shareholder of Cathedral Holdings, a company based in Portugal, and the sole owner of Rede Loto, which controls BestBet and other licensed brands in Rio de Janeiro. A report from Piauí magazine alleged that Flávio Bolsonaro is a silent partner in these betting companies.
The betting site operated for nearly two years, generating revenues of just over BRL 360,000 (approximately $67,275) and paying a BRL 5 million state license fee in Rio de Janeiro, yet it refrained from advertising or engaging in commercial activities. Meanwhile, Willer Tomaz handled over BRL 10 billion in sports bets on Blaze, identified as Brazil's largest gambler by the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA).
Additionally, Bolsonaro faces accusations of financial misconduct linked to the financing of a film about his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted for an attempted coup.
Reports suggest that amidst the chaos of the election results last weekend, allies of the losing candidate received word of his flight to the United States. A source associated with the Trump administration and Bolsonaro's family confirmed their awareness of his departure, although the State Department did not provide an official comment. According to Brazilian media, the Trump administration has plans to grant asylum to the senator.
The Federal Police went ahead and canceled Bolsonaro's passports after he failed to surrender them by 11 a.m. on Tuesday, notifying Minister Alexandre de Moraes of their administrative action. Initial reports of his flight emerged from the Argentinian news outlet Infobae, which stated that he had crossed into Argentina using his identification card and planned to travel to the US from Puerto Iguazú. Witnesses claimed he crossed the Tancredo Neves bridge on foot, linking Foz do Iguaçu in Paraná to Puerto Iguazú in Misiones, Argentina. Although a plane was reportedly ready for takeoff, it did not depart due to one passenger being unaccounted for, raising questions about their identity and how they would travel to the US.
Unverified reports indicated that Bolsonaro might have left Brazil through Venezuela.
The repercussions of losing the election are significant for Bolsonaro. Previously, while still a member of parliament, he enjoyed privileged jurisdiction, allowing investigations to continue in the STF. His hope had been to leverage electoral victory to halt these probes. However, post-election defeats mean the cases will remain under STF jurisdiction, as a 2025 court decision holds that crimes committed during an official's term relating to their role are still subject to this authority.
Defeated by Lula, after his term as senator, Bolsonaro now faces an uphill battle as the legal challenges against him persist within the STF.
