BRASÍLIA (Realist English). Brazilian federal police say former president Jair Bolsonaro prepared a draft request for political asylum in Argentina ahead of his trial on charges of plotting a coup to overturn the 2022 election.
The undated document, discovered on Bolsonaro’s seized mobile phone, was addressed to Argentina’s President Javier Milei. In it, Bolsonaro claimed he was the victim of political persecution and feared for his life, according to a report filed to Brazil’s supreme court. Police did not clarify whether the request was ever submitted to Buenos Aires.
Bolsonaro faces a possible sentence of more than 40 years in prison if convicted of conspiring to annul the election result, which handed victory to leftwing rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The far-right ex-leader denies the charges, with the supreme court scheduled to begin judgment next month.
Investigators said the 33-page draft, dated February 2024 — two days after raids against alleged coup plotters — opened with Bible verses and revealed Bolsonaro’s “plan to flee the country in order to avoid the application of criminal law.” His passport was confiscated at the time.
The case has widened into a political and diplomatic storm. President Donald Trump, a close ally, has denounced the proceedings as a “witch-hunt” and last month imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports, demanding the trial be halted. Lula has dismissed Washington’s pressure as “unacceptable,” while the court has vowed to proceed.
Police also recommended new charges against Bolsonaro and his son Eduardo for obstruction. Eduardo Bolsonaro, a congressman currently in the United States, has lobbied in Washington on his father’s behalf, including pushing the Trump administration to sanction Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the case.
Prosecutors allege Bolsonaro’s inner circle, including senior military officers and former ministers, planned not only to seize power but also to assassinate Lula, his running mate and Justice de Moraes. They say the plot’s final stage was the January 8, 2023 riot in Brasília, when Bolsonaro supporters stormed government buildings.
Bolsonaro’s lawyer, who has been under house arrest for breaching court restrictions, did not comment on the latest allegations.
