Brazilian court orders Bolsonaro's son to surrender passports over money laundering suspicions

Court ruling on movement restrictions

The Supreme Court of Brazil has issued a ruling requiring Senator Flávio Bolsonaro to surrender his passports. This measure has been applied as part of an ongoing investigation into possible money laundering. According to Time, the court also banned Bolsonaro from maintaining any contact with Brazilian lawyer Viller Tomaz.

Chronology of events: electoral defeat and court ruling

These measures were taken the day after Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of imprisoned former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, suffered a defeat in the presidential elections. His opponent was the incumbent head of state, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who won the vote.

Link to financial scheme

As reported by The New York Times, investigators are examining possible links between the senator and Viller Tomaz. The lawyer is suspected of laundering a sum exceeding $1 billion through a fraudulent scheme. The investigation began in the context of a broader case related to unauthorised deductions from pension payments. Later, the focus of the investigators shifted to checking possible money laundering operations through betting platforms and financial transactions linked to Tomaz, who denies his guilt.

Reactions and details of financial links

Flávio Bolsonaro characterised this investigation as political persecution. In his statement, he claimed that the seizure of his passports was an attempt to intimidate him following his electoral defeat. Despite this, the senator promised to comply with the court's decision and assured that he had never previously considered the option of leaving Brazil.

Local media, citing police materials, reported that Bolsonaro had administrative access to the bank accounts of Alcazar Holdings, a company owned by Tomaz. Both the senator and the lawyer deny the existence of a joint account or any financial links between them.