Former Brazilian president has passport revoked over riot investigation

Former President Bolsonaro's lawyer says he will comply with a request from Brazilian police to hand over his passport amid a riot investigation.

Brazilian police announced on February 8 that they were searching, detaining, restricting travel, and summoning for investigation a series of individuals suspected of "being involved in a coup plot" in the case of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro occupying the presidential palace, the National Congress building, and the Supreme Court on January 8, 2023.

Federal police confirmed they had conducted dozens of searches, seized documents and executed four arrest warrants as part of the investigation.

Brazilian police have issued restrictions on 48 people involved in the case, including suspending them from public office and requiring them to surrender their passports within 24 hours.

The statement did not name the individuals under investigation, but Fabio Wajngarten, a lawyer and adviser to Mr Bolsonaro, confirmed on social media that the former Brazilian president would comply with the order to confiscate his passport.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro outside a resort in Kissimmee, Florida, USA, January 22, 2023. Photo: AFP

Local media reported that the federal investigation also targeted four military generals, including former defense minister Walter Braga Netto and former government adviser Augusto Heleno. Liberal Party (PL) leader Valdemar Costa Neto is also under investigation.

Jair Bolsonaro led Brazil from 2019 to 2022. He lost to his opponent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in October 2022 with a vote difference of 50.9% to 49.1%, the closest margin in modern Brazilian history.

He did not concede defeat but did not obstruct the transfer of power to Mr. Lula. Bolsonaro left Brazil for Florida, USA, on December 30, 2022, two days before the end of his term.

Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro clash with security forces at the congress building in Brasilia on January 8, 2023. Photo: AFP

A week after Mr. Lula took office, protesters supporting Mr. Bolsonaro marched in Brasilia and stormed the Brazilian Congress building, the Supreme Court and the Presidential Palace, causing riots and destruction.

Security forces later cracked down on the rioters, arresting about 1,500 people. Several former officials and officers under Bolsonaro have been arrested or dismissed for their involvement in the riots.

Former President Bolsonaro was accused of inciting anti-democratic protests that led to riots. He returned to Brazil in March 2023, declaring that he would continue to engage in politics in his home country and serve as a PL adviser for future elections.

Thanh Danh (According to AFP )

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