BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil’s federal police said that messages found on the telephone of embattled former president Jair Bolsonaro showed that at one point he wanted to flee to Argentina and request political asylum, according to documents seen Wednesday by the Associated Press.
Bolsonaro is currently awaiting a Supreme Court ruling about an alleged coup attempt and on Wednesday found out he might face another case as police formally accused him and one of his sons, Eduardo Bolsonaro, of obstruction of justice in connection with his pending trial.
The AP had access to the police investigation, messaging app exchanges, voice messages and reviewed the documents, which were sent to Brazil’s Supreme Court.
The 170-page police report said that Bolsonaro had drafted a request for political asylum from Argentine President Javier Milei’s government dated Feb. 10, 2024. Bolsonaro saved the document two days after authorities searched his home and office as 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 in the Republic of Argentina, under an urgent regime, as I find myself in a situation of political persecution in Brazil and fear for my life,” the former Brazilian leader wrote.
Argentina’s presidential spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bolsonaro did not make comments about the investigation either.
On Feb. 12, Bolsonaro reportedly spent two nights at the Hungarian Embassy in Brasília, fueling speculation among critics that he may have been attempting to avoid arrest.
Brazilian federal police investigators also said in their report that Bolsonaro’s decision to ignore precautionary measures established for his house arrest and spread content to his allies “sought to directly hit Brazilian democratic institutions, notably the Supreme Court and even Brazil’s Congress.”
With regards to Wednesday’s obstruction of justice accusations, Eduardo Bolsonaro, a lawmaker who has lived in the United States, said in a statement that he “never aimed at interfering in any ongoing proceedings in Brazil.” He added the conversations with his father that are part of the investigation are “absolutely normal” and its publication has a political bias.
Silas Malafaia, an evangelical pastor who is a staunch ally of Bolsonaro’s, was also targeted by police. He had his passport seized by investigators but was not formally accused of obstruction of justice.
Several messages exchanged between Bolsonaro and his son show their interest in praising U.S. President Donald Trump to affect legal proceedings in Brazil. Last month, Trump imposed 50% tariffs on some Brazilian exports and claimed the trial of the former president was the main reason for his sanctions.
“You won’t have time to reverse the situation if the guy here turns his back on you. Everything here is very touchy, every little thing affects you,” Eduardo Bolsonaro told his father in one of the exchanges.
“In today’s situation, you don’t even need to worry about jail; you won’t be arrested. But I’m afraid things will change here (in the United States). Even inside the White House, there are people telling (Trump): ‘OK, Brazil is gone. Let’s move on’,” Eduardo Bolsonaro said.
Some exchanges also show frictions sauced with expletives between father and son. Eduardo, who moved to the U.S. earlier this year despite holding a seat in Brazil’s congress, calls Bolsonaro “ungrateful” for his efforts to influence the President Donald Trump administration in their favor.
Eduardo Bolsonaro also asks his father to “ACT RESPONSIBLY” so he doesn’t have to remain much longer in the U.S.
____ Sá Pessoa reported from Sao Paulo.
AP journalist Isabel DeBre contributed to this report from Buenos Aires.
