BUENOS AIRES - Brazil’s defeated presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro travelled through Argentina before boarding a private plane bound for Ecuador, Argentine immigration authorities said on Wednesday, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
Bolsonaro was accompanied by his wife, Fernanda, and their daughters, Carolina and Luiza, late on Tuesday, according to a statement the authorities posted on the social media platform X early Wednesday.
The flight plan listed the Ecuadorian port city of Guayaquil as the aircraft’s destination.
Earlier reports suggested Bolsonaro planned to travel to the United States (US) following his election defeat to avoid potential legal troubles.
Argentine immigration authorities said Bolsonaro and his family had entered the country by land through the northern province of Misiones, near Iguazu Falls, using valid travel documents.
A US official confirmed that the US would grant visas to Bolsonaro and his family and allow them to enter the country, although his onward travel plans remained unclear.
Bolsonaro had failed to comply with an order from Brazil’s Supreme Court to surrender his passports within 24 hours.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes had also ordered the cancellation of his passports and barred him from leaving the country.
The order was issued as part of an investigation into Bolsonaro and lawyer Willer Tomaz over suspected money laundering linked to businesses and online sports betting.
Bolsonaro, the son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, lost Sunday’s presidential election to incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. - BERNAMA