After Brazil's Supreme Court ordered right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro to surrender his passport in relation to a money laundering probe, reports in Argentina claimed Tuesday that he has fled Brazil via Argentina, bypassing the travel ban.
The rumors started flying after Argentine news outlet Infobae reported that Bolsonaro allegedly entered Argentina using his national ID via Puerto Iguazu at the Brazil-Argentina border. It claimed that the 45-year-old planned to fly out to the United States in a Gulfstream jet.
However, Argentine authorities have denied the reports, saying that the country's immigration authorities have no record of Flavio Bolsonaro entering Argentina. Reuters reported, citing immigration authorities in Argentina, that the aircraft that the report claimed brought Bolsonaro to Argentina was checked. It found no flight plan listed against the Bolsonaro family.
Deep Dive
Did Flavio Bolsonaro flee Brazil for Argentina?
Why was Flavio Bolsonaro ordered to surrender his passport?
Was Flavio Bolsonaro planning to fly from Argentina to the United States?
Bolsonaro, the son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro, lost to Lula da Silva in the Brazil presidential elections on Sunday, October 25. On Monday, following the Supreme Court order, he claimed that the Federal Police in Brazil approached him about surrendering his passport.
Also read: Bolsonaro refuses to accept Lula's victory, seeks annulment of Brazil election
What To Know About Claims Of Bolsonaro Leaving The Country
{{/usCountry}}Also read: Bolsonaro refuses to accept Lula's victory, seeks annulment of Brazil election
What To Know About Claims Of Bolsonaro Leaving The Country
{{/usCountry}}Infobae, one of Argentina's leading news portals, claimed in an exclusive story Tuesday that Bolsonaro crossed the border and planned to travel to the US from Puerto Iguazu. It claimed that a Gulfstream 400 jet with the registration number LV-JQW owned by the company Baires Fly SA, was set to fly the Senator to the United States. A photo of the jet was also published.
The report claimed that Baires Fly SA purportedly requested immigration clearances for four passengers and three crew members, and one of the passengers was Flavio Bolsonaro. However, Argentine immigration authorities deny the claim after inspecting the plane, Reuters reported.
Also read: Brazil's incumbent President Lula da Silva defeats Flavio Bolsonaro to win a historic fourth term
What Brazilian authorities say about Flavio Bolsonaro's whereabouts
Brazil's Metrópoles newspaper reported that the country's Federal Police is investigating claims that Flavio Bolsonaro has fled the country via Argentina. According to the report, the Federal Police, so far, have no records of the Liberal Party Senator crossing any of Brazil's border checkpoints.
The report also noted that the Federal Police are in contact with the authorities in Argentina as they investigate the reports.
Flavio Bolsonaro last appeared in public in a post-election speech following his loss to Lula da Silva on Sunday evening.