By MAURICIO SAVARESE and GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil’s federal police mentioned that messages discovered on the phone of embattled former President Jair Bolsonaro present that at one level he needed to flee to Argentina and request political asylum, in response to paperwork seen Wednesday by the Related Press.
Bolsonaro is at present ready for a Supreme Courtroom ruling subsequent month about an alleged coup try and he may face one other case as police formally accused him and certainly one of his sons of obstruction of justice in connection together with his pending trial.
The AP had entry to the police investigation and reviewed the paperwork, which had been despatched to Brazil’s Supreme Courtroom. The Argentine authorities didn’t reply a request for remark from the AP.
Silas Malafaia, an evangelical pastor who’s a staunch ally of Bolsonaro’s, was additionally focused by police. He had his passport seized by investigators however was not formally accused of obstruction of justice.
Brazilian federal police investigators mentioned in a 170-page report that Bolsonaro had a draft of a request for political asylum from Argentine President Javier Milei’s authorities dated Feb. 10, 2024. The previous president saved the doc two days after authorities searched his dwelling and workplace as a part of an investigation into an alleged coup plot.
In a 33-page letter addressed to Milei, Bolsonaro claimed he was being politically persecuted in Brazil.
“I, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, request political asylum from Your Excellency within the Republic of Argentina, below an pressing regime, as I discover myself in a scenario of political persecution in Brazil and concern for my life,” the Brazilian chief wrote.
On Feb. 12, Bolsonaro reportedly spent two nights on the Hungarian Embassy in Brasília, fueling hypothesis amongst critics that he might have been trying to keep away from arrest.
Brazilian federal police investigators additionally mentioned of their report that Bolsonaro’s determination to disregard precautionary measures established for his home arrest and unfold content material to his allies “sought to instantly hit Brazilian democratic establishments, notably the Supreme Courtroom and even Brazil’s Congress.”
Sá Pessoa reported from Sao Paulo.
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