No one says they know where Flavio Bolsonaro is. Not the police, not the courts, not even his own allies.
The son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro disappeared from the map two days after losing Sunday’s presidential runoff to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, following a questionable ruling by a judge handpicked by Lula. Explosive reports claim Flavio crossed the border into Argentina and attempted to fly to the United States on a private jet.
Daniel Di Martino, an expert on Latin American affairs at the Manhattan Institute, posted on
Argentinian media outlet Infobae reported that the 45-year-old politician entered Argentina using a national identity card and was preparing to take off from Puerto Iguazu, near the famous Iguazu Falls, early on Tuesday.
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But the story quickly becomes confusing. Argentinian media reported that he crossed the border between 9pm and 10pm on Monday, then became worried and never showed up at the airport again. It was also reported that a plane was blocked from taking off in Puerto Iguazu with Flavio’s name on the passenger manifest.
He disappeared just hours after Brazil’s Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Morais ordered him to hand over his passport within 24 hours. At 11 a.m. on Tuesday, the deadline came and went again, but the passport was nowhere to be seen. His own lawyers admitted they could not find him to hand over the documents, and Brazil’s federal police canceled his ordinary and diplomatic passports.
Brazil is currently investigating a possible jailbreak. Authorities said he failed to pass through any official border checkpoints, prompting speculation that he had crossed overland.
The government of Argentine President Javier Milley, a close ally of Bolsonaro, has flatly denied that he had entered the country, saying immigration authorities had no record of him. Officials added that the plane’s owner’s documentation was complete and no flight plans involving the Bolsonaro family had been submitted.
Flavio himself said he was “calming down”. But when asked point-blank if he was still in Brazil, he fell silent. Three close allies admitted they had no idea where he was.
His campaign coordinator Rogerio Marinho insists he never left Brazil.
Flavio’s father, former president Jair, was sentenced to house arrest for attempting a coup. Flavio’s brother Eduardo already lives in the United States, and Flavio claims the passport controls were triggered by Eduardo publicly urging him to flee if he lost.
Flavio has blasted the police serving him as “Lula’s federal police” and supporters say Moraes is waging a vendetta against the Bolsonaro family.
At present, the only thing people are sure of is: Flavio is missing.