Brazil’s Supreme Court has instructed former President Jair Bolsonaro to provide an explanation for his two-night stay at the Hungarian Embassy. The Brazilian federal police have initiated an investigation to determine if this stay violated previous court orders, as confirmed by police and court officials.
These actions from the Supreme Court and federal police increase the legal troubles for Brazil’s former leader following a New York Times investigation that revealed Mr. Bolsonaro sought refuge at the Hungarian Embassy in Brasília after his passport was confiscated due to a criminal investigation.
The Times report, which included footage from the embassy’s security cameras, suggested that the former president was seeking political asylum from Hungary, led by hard-right leader Viktor Orban.
After The Times’s article, Mr. Bolsonaro admitted staying at the embassy but declined to disclose the reason, stating that he has connections with world leaders who were concerned. His lawyer later released a statement clarifying that the stay was for political discussions and dismissed any other interpretations as fake news.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Brazilian Supreme Court was not satisfied with this explanation and has given the former president 48 hours to provide further details about his embassy stay. This comes after Justice Moraes had authorized raids and arrests of Mr. Bolsonaro’s associates for alleged coup plotting.
The Brazilian federal police are now investigating if Mr. Bolsonaro’s stay at the Hungarian Embassy violated court orders, which prohibited him from leaving the country during the ongoing investigation.
Legal experts in Brazil suggest that Mr. Bolsonaro’s asylum bid could lead to his arrest if authorities believe he may face criminal charges and attempt to evade prosecution in the future.
Hungary’s ambassador was summoned by the Brazilian Foreign Ministry to explain Mr. Bolsonaro’s embassy stay. The ambassador reiterated that the former president was there for political discussions. Brazilian officials expressed concern over hosting a former president under criminal investigation for multiple nights at the embassy.
Reporting contributed by Paulo Motoryn from Brasília and Leonardo Coelho from Rio de Janeiro.
