Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro appeared before Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Wednesday to address his stay at the Hungarian embassy in February. Bolsonaro refuted claims of seeking asylum during his two-night stay, which came under scrutiny after leaked video footage and satellite images were released by the New York Times. These images showed Bolsonaro entering the embassy on February 12th and departing on the 14th, shortly after his passport had been confiscated as part of an investigation into an alleged military coup plot.
Bolsonaro asserted to the court that he had no apprehension about potential arrest and maintained that his stay at the embassy was intended to foster positive diplomatic relations with Hungary. By staying at an embassy, he argued, he would be shielded from potential arrest by authorities. Justice Moraes had issued a summons on Monday, granting Bolsonaro 48 hours to provide clarification regarding his embassy visit.
In his response filed electronically, Bolsonaro detailed that he had been subjected to precautionary measures days prior, including the confiscation of his passport and a prohibition from leaving the country. His defense emphasized his compliance with court requests, his established residence, his public agenda, and his communication protocol for travel authorization.
The Attorney General’s Office has been given five days to review Bolsonaro’s explanation before Justice Moraes makes a ruling on the matter. Concurrently, Brazilian law enforcement is conducting an investigation into the embassy incident, as confirmed by a source with knowledge of the case.
The controversy stems from events on February 8th when police seized Bolsonaro’s passport, accusing him of manipulating a draft decree to overturn the 2022 election results, coercing military officials to support a coup, and conspiring to imprison Justice Moraes. These allegations have sparked significant legal and political repercussions in Brazil.
