Defeated Brazilian candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, family to receive US visas amid court travel ban

Washington: The United States will grant visas to defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro and his family, allowing them to enter the country, according to a senior US State Department official cited by multiple US media outlets.

The announcement came after reports that Bolsonaro, a Brazilian senator and the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, had left Brazil for the United States following his loss in Sunday’s presidential runoff.

Bolsonaro lost to incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who received 51.79 percent of valid votes against Bolsonaro’s 48.21 percent, according to Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court.

President Lula criticized Bolsonaro’s departure, calling it “shameful” and saying he regretted that the defeated candidate had left Brazil.

Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports within 24 hours and barred him from leaving the country.

The confidential ruling is part of an investigation involving Bolsonaro and lawyer Willer Tomaz over suspected money laundering and illegal foreign-exchange transactions. Moraes also prohibited Bolsonaro from contacting Tomaz.

Reports said Bolsonaro’s passports were canceled after he failed to surrender them within the court-imposed deadline. He has denied wrongdoing.

A senior State Department official said: “The State Department will issue visas to Flávio Bolsonaro and his family and allow them entry into the United States.” The official spoke anonymously because of visa-privacy laws.

The department did not publicly confirm Bolsonaro’s travel plans, though multiple reports said he had already departed Brazil.

(Inputs from IANS)