The minister of the (Federal Supreme Court) denied ()’s request to attend the inauguration of .
Moraes justified, in his decision, that the former president has already publicly stated that he is in favor of the escape of convicts in cases of investigation and their clandestine stay abroad, especially in Argentina, to avoid the application of the law and judicial decisions.
He also stated that no document was added to the file to prove the invitation made by the US president-elect to Bolsonaro, as alleged by the former president’s defense.
According to the minister, Bolsonaro has been defending the flight from the country and asylum abroad for the various people convicted by the STF in cases related to the investigation and related to the attempted coup d’état and the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law.
“The scenario that supported the imposition of a ban on being absent from the country, with the delivery of passports, continues to indicate the possibility of an attempt to evade the indicted Jair Messias Bolsonaro to avoid the application of criminal law,” he said.
He also stated that it is important to highlight that Bolsonaro gave an interview considering the possibility of leaving the country and requesting political asylum to avoid possible criminal liability in Brazil, after his indictment by the Federal Police. He also said that, on several other occasions, he has spoken out in favor of the escape of convicts in related cases.
“The conduct of the accused Jair Messias Bolsonaro, encouraging the escape of convicted defendants and non-compliance with Brazilian legislation and final sentencing decisions handed down by the STF plenary, in crimes related to the present investigation, was viewed by more than 325 thousand people”, pointed out Moraes.
He added that such behavior has been constantly corroborated by the federal deputy (PL-SP), “who, according to his own defense, had brokered the invitations for the trip requested by the accused.”
With this, he stated that there was no new fact that justified Bolsonaro’s new request to be absent from the country for private commitments, in relation to which the unanimous decision of the First Panel of the STF was based previously.
The minister said that “regardless of the absence of additional evidence”, there is a need to analyze the defense’s request to travel abroad “for strictly private purposes”, as claimed by the (Attorney General’s Office).
On Wednesday (15), the Attorney General of the Republic, , had spoken out against the request, with the argument that there was no demonstrated “basic, urgent and inescapable need” for the former president to leave the country.
Furthermore, Gonet stated that the desired trip “intends to satisfy private interest” and is not essential.
The attorney general also argued that Bolsonaro does not perform a role that confers the status of official representation of Brazil to his presence at the official ceremony in the United States.
Bolsonaro’s passport is withheld as a result of the investigations he is the subject of, including the one dealing with suspected involvement in a coup d’état plot in 2022.
The former president’s defense had asked for permission for him to travel from Friday (17) to Wednesday (22) to follow the inauguration schedule, which includes two balls and the official ceremony for the Republican to take office, which will take place on Monday Friday (20).
On Saturday (11), Moraes ordered the former president to send .
In the order, he said that the invitation included in the request had been sent to Eduardo Bolsonaro’s email via an “unidentified” email address and without details of the ceremonies.
On Monday (13), the . According to them, it is a means of “formal communication used by the aforementioned ceremonial team”, and the use of specific and temporary online domains is common in American presidential inauguration events.
“The good faith of the declarant is honored, in casu, that the invitation sent by official email from the committee represented by Donald J. Trump is true, precisely because lies or intentional omissions can lead to strict consequences”, said the lawyers.
In the same response, the defense stated that the inauguration of the elected president is an “event of notable political and symbolic magnitude and the invitation to attend his ceremony is loaded with meanings and implies several important aspects, such as strengthening ties and strengthening bilateral relations between countries through dialogue between two global leaders”.
The lawyers also said they reiterated the former president’s commitment not to hinder “the progress of the investigations” and to fully comply with the precautionary measures imposed.
In the initial request for the release of the passport, the defense had already included an invitation written by the “Hispanic Inaugural Committe”, to “participate in the official Hispanic inauguration ball”, scheduled for next Saturday (18).
