Brazilian court denies Bolsonaro’s request to travel to Trump’s inauguration

Brazil’s Supreme Court has made a decisive ruling against former President Jair Bolsonaro, denying his request to temporarily restore his passport so he could attend the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Washington next week. Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who Bolsonaro has clashed with in the past, stated that Bolsonaro does not currently hold a position that would allow him to represent Brazil at such an event and that he failed to provide sufficient evidence that he had been officially invited.

Bolsonaro, who is facing multiple investigations including allegations of attempting to remain in office despite losing the election, had his passport confiscated by federal police last February due to concerns that he might try to flee the country. Bolsonaro has consistently denied these allegations. In response to the court’s decision, he accused the Brazilian judicial system of targeting him for political reasons, drawing parallels to legal challenges faced by Trump in the U.S. He vowed to overcome what he called “judicial activism” against him.

The former Brazilian president had sought permission to travel from January 17 to 22 to attend Trump’s inauguration and a Hispanic inaugural ball. Bolsonaro, a vocal supporter of Trump, expressed his excitement about the invitation on social media. However, the court found his evidence of the invitation to be insufficient.

Despite presenting an invitation letter signed by inauguration committee co-chairs, de Moraes and Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet raised concerns about Bolsonaro’s potential flight risk and the public interest in preventing him from leaving the country. They pointed out that Bolsonaro had encouraged his supporters facing legal troubles to seek asylum abroad. Additionally, hundreds of his supporters involved in riots in Brasilia in 2023 have fled Brazil to avoid prosecution.

Brazil’s current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will not be attending Trump’s inauguration. The government confirmed that the Brazilian ambassador to the U.S. will represent the country at the event. Bolsonaro’s passport was initially seized during a raid related to an investigation into an alleged plot to overturn the election results in 2022.

Legal experts anticipate that Bolsonaro could face trial for falsifying his COVID-19 vaccination status and embezzling jewels from Saudi Arabian authorities in the near future. Despite denying any wrongdoing, Bolsonaro continues to face significant legal challenges. The government has confirmed that President Lula was not formally invited to Trump’s inauguration, which will also be attended by other global leaders such as China’s President Xi Jinping and Argentina’s President Javier Milei.