Bolsonaro: Asylum Request in Argentina Was an "Old Draft"

Jair Bolsonaro's defense today justified the existence of an asylum application document for Argentina found on the former president's cell phone, declaring to Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) that it was a "mere old draft."

“There is only one document, which he acknowledges is a mere old draft sent by a third party, in addition to the undeniable finding that the request did not materialize!”, alleged the former president’s defense, cited in Agência Brasil, in a justification requested by the STF.

The former president's lawyers responded to a request from Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the case's investigator, who demanded explanations within 48 hours, in light of the "repetition of illicit conduct," after finding an asylum request from the Argentine government on Bolsonaro's cell phone.

An hour before the deadline, the lawyers indicated in their response that “a draft asylum request to the Argentine President” from February 2024 “cannot be considered an indication of escape.”

The text, undated and unsigned, but addressed to the Argentine President, had been on Bolsonaro's cell phone since 2024, when he was the target of the first investigations into the coup d'état case.

According to the Federal Police, the elements found indicate that Bolsonaro, currently under house arrest, “had in his possession a document that would allow him to flee Brazil to the Argentine Republic, especially after the start of the investigation.”

In the document, the former president claims that in Brazil he is persecuted for essentially political reasons and crimes.

According to Jair Bolsonaro's defense, the former president complied with the precautionary measures ordered by the Supreme Court, such as the ban on leaving the country and the ban on using his own social media accounts or those of third parties.

The fact is that, with or without the draft, the former president did not flee. On the contrary, he obeyed all the Supreme Court's rulings, including the one banning him from traveling abroad, responded to the charges filed, attended all hearings, and always respected all orders," the lawyers explained.

The request for explanations is part of a separate process investigating the former president and his son, Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, for allegedly trying to obstruct and condition the trial for attempted coup, through coordinated actions with the government of United States President Donald Trump.

The two were indicted “for the crimes of coercion during the trial and attempted abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law by restricting the exercise of constitutional powers,” the authorities added.

According to Brazilian authorities, Bolsonaro and his son Eduardo, who has been in the United States for about six months, sought to "induce, instigate and assist" the Donald Trump administration "to commit hostile acts against Brazil" with the aim of shelving the coup d'état process.

Bolsonaro faces a criminal trial on charges of leading a coup plot to remain in power and prevent the inauguration of his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who won the 2022 election.

This trial, in which Jair Bolsonaro faces a sentence that could be more than 40 years in prison and which will begin on September 2, was the main reason that led the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to impose an additional 50% tariff on Brazilian imports, as well as sanctions on several Supreme Court judges.