Brazil's Federal Police cancelled the passports of Flávio Bolsonaro on Tuesday after he failed to surrender them within a 24-hour deadline set by the Supreme Court. Bolsonaro, a senator and defeated right-wing presidential candidate, did not comply with the court order issued Monday as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering that he denies.
Federal officers are checking border crossings to determine whether Bolsonaro left the country. Police sources told BBC News Brasil that officers are investigating whether he may have travelled to Argentina. Argentine authorities told the BBC they have no record of him entering through any border crossing.
Before the deadline passed, Bolsonaro said he had no plans to leave Brazil and intended to remain in the country to lead opposition to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro lost Sunday's presidential runoff to Lula, who won 51.79% of the vote compared to Bolsonaro's 48.21%.
The passport cancellation comes as Bolsonaro faces multiple investigations. He is already under investigation for alleged corruption related to financing of a film about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of plotting a coup and is under house arrest. The Supreme Court also ordered police on Tuesday to investigate Bolsonaro's electoral campaign over alleged foreign funding.
Despite trailing by 4.4 million votes, Bolsonaro has not conceded defeat. He has called for the election to be annulled, arguing he faced disadvantages when polling was extended by two hours on election day. He called the extension, which was requested by both his party and Lula's party and ordered by a Supreme Court justice, a "dirty trick." The Liberal Party, which Bolsonaro represented, accepted the election result but said the voting extension "merits investigation."