Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to
Argentina seeking asylum
[August 21, 2025]
By MAURICIO SAVARESE and GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil’s federal police said messages found on
the telephone of former President Jair Bolsonaro showed he once 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 learned Wednesday 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 trial.
The 170-page report said Bolsonaro had drafted a request for political
asylum from Argentine President Javier Milei’s government dated Feb. 10,
2024. He saved the document two days after authorities searched his home
and office as part of the alleged coup plot investigation.
Close to that date, Bolsonaro admittedly spent two nights at the
Hungarian Embassy in Brasília, fueling speculation he may have been
attempting to avoid arrest.
The Argentina plot is part of the wider police accusation of obstruction
of justice, in which Bolsonaro has allegedly ignored precautionary
measures established for his house arrest and spread content to his
allies “to directly hit Brazilian democratic institutions, notably the
Supreme Court and even Brazil’s Congress,” according to the report.
The AP reviewed the police evidence, which included messaging app
exchanges and voice messages, after police forwarded the documents to
Brazil’s Supreme Court. Bolsonaro would face another trial if the
attorney-general decides to charge him.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees the case, gave Bolsonaro’s
lawyers 48 hours to explain why the former president sought political
asylum in Argentina and failed to comply with other precautionary
measures of his house arrest, such as avoiding contact with people
outside his family circle.
Asylum in Argentina
In a 33-page letter addressed to Milei, Bolsonaro claimed he was being
politically persecuted in Brazil. Both are staunch supporters of U.S.
President Donald Trump, who has recently repeated some of the former
president's claims in his decision to impose 50% tariffs on Brazilian
exports.
“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.
Bolsonaro had his passport seized by Brazil's Supreme Court in on Feb.
8, 2024. He has repeatedly sought to get it back, including prior to
Trump's inauguration earlier this year. De Moraes rejected all requests
as the former president is seen as a flight risk.
Manuel Adorni, spokesperson for Milei, said the Argentine government
hasn’t received anything yet. Bolsonaro did not comment about the
investigation.
The former Brazilian president attended Milei's inauguration in December
2023, while the serving President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva did not
attend. Lula and Milei have had a frosty relationship since the
right-wing Argentine took office.
Silas Malafaia, a very popular evangelical pastor who is a staunch ally
of Bolsonaro’s, had his passport and cell phone seized by investigators
but was not formally accused of obstruction of justice.
Praising Trump
Brazil's federal police gathered several messages between Bolsonaro and
his son in which they show interest in praising Trump to affect legal
proceedings back home.
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Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro, center, temporarily
allowed out of house arrest for medical exams, departs a hospital in
Brasília, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
“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.
Earlier, Eduardo Bolsonaro 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.
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 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.
Avoiding prison
Eduardo Bolsonaro also said he had secured U.S. government support
“with great difficulty,” claiming that he and an ally, Paulo
Figueiredo, were the only ones with access to the White House. He
also told his father that Trump’s pressure was the only chance
Bolsonaro had to avoid prison.
“The most powerful man in the world is on your side. We did our
part,” Eduardo texted on July 10.
Brazil's federal police also investigated conversations between
Bolsonaro and Martin de Luca, a lawyer for video platform Rumble and
the Trump Media Group in a case challenging Justice Alexandre de
Moraes, who oversees the investigations against the former
president. De Luca sent the former president information about
Rumble's lawsuit against de Moraes in the U.S.
On July 14, De Luca wrote to Bolsonaro, saying he was receiving
interview requests from U.S. media for the former president. That
same day, Bolsonaro sent De Luca a voice message seeking his advice.
“I drafted a note, I think I sent it to you, with four short
paragraphs. It is good, praising Trump, saying that freedom is much
more important than economic issues," Bolsonaro said. "I was really
happy with Trump, very grateful to him. Please guide me with a short
statement from your side, so I can post it on my channels and send
it back to you.”
A verdict and sentence in the coup trial will come from a Supreme
Court panel of five justices. They are scheduled to announce their
rulings between Sept. 2 and 12. The new findings will not be part of
that decision.
Prosecutors say Bolsonaro and several of his allies headed a
criminal organization that plotted to overturn the election,
including plans to kill Lula and de Moraes.
___
Sá Pessoa reported from Sao Paulo. AP journalist Isabel DeBre
contributed to this report from Buenos Aires.
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