Bolsonaro given 48 hours to explain 'plans to flee Brazil'

A supreme court judge has given the former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro 48 hours to explain police claims that he was planning to flee to Argentina to avoid punishment for allegedly masterminding a failed coup after losing the 2022 election.

- Tom Phillips

Bolsonaro's trial for the alleged attempt to seize power is scheduled to conclude early next month. The far-right populist faces more than four decades in prison if found guilty.

Court documents made public on Wednesday night showed that federal police investigators had found a draft asylum request on the ex-president's mobile phone addressed to Argentina's rightwing president, Javier Milei. In the undated and unsigned document, Bolsonaro claimed he was "facing imminent arrest" for political motives and needed "urgent" sanctuary overseas.

An Argentinian government source told the Reuters news agency that Milei's office had not received a letter. But Brazilian police claimed the document indicated Bolsonaro had "planned to flee the country, in order to prevent the law being enforced".