RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Brazil's Supreme Court has rejected a request by former President Jair Bolsonaro's lawyers to return his passport. so that he could travel to IsraelAccording to an official document released on Friday.
Bolsonaro's lawyers said in a statement Thursday that the Israeli prime minister: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had invited Bolsonaro to an event in May and asked the Supreme Court to reinstate his passport.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes wrote in his ruling that “it is entirely premature to lift the restrictions imposed on the subjects of the investigation,” a recommendation from the attorney general's office that Moraes cited. It was in line with.
Bolsonaro's passport was taken precisely to prevent him from leaving the country, taking into account the “danger to the development of the criminal investigation and the possible application of criminal law,” the prosecutor general said in an earlier opinion.
Federal police raided the house in February in connection with an investigation into whether Bolsonaro and his aides ignored the 2022 election results and plotted an uprising to keep the defeated leader in power. Bolsonaro's passport was confiscated. Bolsonaro lost the election to his rival and successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Lawyers submitted Bolsonaro's request to the Supreme Court on Monday, the same day The New York Times published security camera footage revealing the former president's assault. Spent two nights at the Hungarian Embassy in Brasilia.just days after the far-right leader lost his passport.
The revelation of Bolsonaro's stay sparked speculation that he was trying to evade arrest, as officials are not authorized to enter embassy premises due to diplomatic customs that restrict access. Ta.
Mr Bolsonaro's lawyers denied his intentions, saying in a separate statement that it was “illogical” to think that Mr Bolsonaro was seeking asylum or avoiding authorities. The statement said the visit was part of a political agenda with the Hungarian government, with which he had “well-known ties”.
In a petition to the Supreme Court seeking permission to travel to Israel from May 12 to 18, Bolsonaro's lawyers said the proposed trip would not endanger Israel. Ongoing legal proceedings he is facingbecause he had plans after his scheduled return date.
The request did not specify which event Bolsonaro wanted to attend, but the proposed period coincided with Israel's Independence Day.
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