Bolsonaro faces new legal jeopardy.
Brazil's Supreme Court ordered former President Jair Bolsonaro to explain why he spent two nights at the Hungarian Embassy, and the Brazilian federal police began investigating whether the February stay violated earlier court orders, police and court officials have said.
The moves from the Supreme Court and federal police add to mounting legal jeopardy for Brazil's former leader and followed a New York Times investigation published Monday that showed Bolsonaro hid at the Hungarian Embassy in Brazil's capital, Brasília, days after authorities confiscated his passport because he was under criminal investigation.
The Times report, based on three days of footage from the embassy's security cameras, showed that the former president had appeared to be seeking political asylum from Hungary, whose prime minister is a fellow hard-right leader, Viktor Orban.
After the Times' reporting, Bolsonaro confirmed that he had stayed at the embassy but declined to say why. “I have a circle of friends with some world leaders,” he told a Brazilian news outlet. “They're worried.” His lawyer then issued a statement saying that Bolsonaro's stay at the embassy was merely to talk politics and that “any other interpretation” was “just another piece of fake news.”
That account was not enough for Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Brazilian Supreme Court, who has overseen a series of investigations into Bolsonaro. On Monday night, Moraes gave the former president 48 hours to explain his stay at the embassy, according to Mariana Oliveira, a court spokesperson.
On Feb. 8, Moraes authorized raids and arrests on several of Bolsonaro's former top aides and ministers on accusations that they had plotted a coup after Bolsonaro lost the 2022 election. As part of that operation, the justice ordered Bolsonaro to hand over his passport and not to leave the country as the police investigated his involvement.
The Brazilian federal police are now investigating whether Bolsonaro's stay at the Hungarian Embassy broke those orders, according to a federal police official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the inquiry.
Some legal analysts in Brazil have said that Bolsonaro's apparent bid for asylum could lead to his arrest if authorities believe he is likely to face criminal charges and could in the future try to evade detention.
“Bolsonaro's move to hide in the embassy is a classic basis for pretrial detention,” said Augusto de Arruda Botelho, a lawyer and Brazil's former national justice secretary.
“It's one of those situations used as an example in textbooks and classrooms,” he added.
Supreme Court justices in Brazil have broad power, and Moraes has previously acted aggressively against Bolsonaro and his allies, saying their actions had threatened the country's democracy. Many rightwing Brazilians have in turn accused the justice of abusing his power.
Two leftist members of Brazil's Congress said Monday that they had filed formal requests with the Supreme Court and attorney general, asking for Bolsonaro's pretrial detention.