In short
- Brazil’s Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes barred senator Flávio Bolsonaro from leaving the country and cancelled all his passports on 26 October 2026.
- The ruling requires Flávio Bolsonaro to hand over every passport, including the diplomatic one he holds as a congressman, within 24 hours.
- The decision is tied to a criminal case in which the federal police are investigating Bolsonaro over possible involvement in a money-laundering scheme, and it bars him from contact with lawyer Willer Tomaz.
- Police suspect betting companies linked to Willer Tomaz were used to launder about £680m.
- Flávio Bolsonaro’s Senate term ends early next year, when he leaves public office for the first time in 24 years and loses the special immunity held by officeholders.
Brazil’s Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered senator Flávio Bolsonaro on 26 October 2026 to surrender all his passports and barred him from leaving the country, hours after Bolsonaro lost the presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The order was signed by Moraes, the same justice who oversaw the trial of Bolsonaro’s father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, for attempting a coup.
What does the ruling against Flávio Bolsonaro say?
The ruling refers only to a criminal case in which the federal police are investigating Flávio Bolsonaro over possible involvement in a money-laundering scheme. It bans him from any contact with Willer Tomaz, a lawyer linked to betting companies that police suspect were used to launder about £680m. It also cancels all his passports, including the diplomatic one he holds as a congressman, and orders him to hand them over within 24 hours.
Has Flávio Bolsonaro conceded defeat?
Flávio Bolsonaro has not conceded defeat to Lula, just as his father declined to concede four years ago. Lula’s victory dents Trump’s plan for a right-leaning Latin America.
On Monday night, Flávio Bolsonaro’s party issued a statement acknowledging the result: “We recognise the presidential result proclaimed by the electoral court, but believe that the questions raised need to be properly clarified through a balanced and democratic political debate.”
What did Flávio Bolsonaro say about the order?
Bolsonaro was the first to speak publicly about the decision, before Brazilian media were aware of it. In a video posted on social media, he said he had just left a visit to his father, who is under house arrest in Brasília, when “Lula’s federal police were at his door and in the middle of the street, and I was served with an order to hand over my passports and I am also prohibited from leaving the country”.
He said the decision was based on an interview his brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, gave last Friday urging him to leave Brazil if he lost the election. Eduardo Bolsonaro is in self-imposed exile in the US. Flávio Bolsonaro added: “I never said that.”
Is he still contesting the result?
Folha de S Paulo reported that allies and lawyers persuaded Bolsonaro to drop his plan to annul the election, which he announced after Lula’s victory was declared on Sunday night, judging the argument legally weak. He had claimed that a two-hour extension of voting, intended to let voters who could not access free public transport cast ballots, harmed the election, although his own campaign had also argued for an extension. In the video, he said he would file another case to have Lula’s ticket disqualified over alleged abuse of economic power.
What changes when his Senate term ends?
Bolsonaro’s Senate term ends early next year, leaving him out of public office for the first time in 24 years and without the special immunity afforded to officeholders. He is also under investigation in a second criminal case, over what happened to £20m he was recorded asking a disgraced banker accused of corruption to provide for a biopic about his father.
Frequently asked questions
Why was Flávio Bolsonaro’s passport cancelled?
Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes cancelled the passports in connection with a criminal case in which the federal police are investigating Bolsonaro over possible involvement in a money-laundering scheme. The same ruling bars him from contacting lawyer Willer Tomaz.
Has Flávio Bolsonaro accepted the election result?
No. Flávio Bolsonaro has not conceded defeat to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, although his party issued a statement recognising the presidential result proclaimed by the electoral court.
Who is Willer Tomaz?
Willer Tomaz is a lawyer described as a friend of Flávio Bolsonaro and linked to betting companies that police suspect were used to launder about £680m. The court barred Bolsonaro from any contact with him.
With reporting from The Guardian.
Stock image, not from the events described. City Skyline — Joe deSousa / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)
