Four days after losing his passport, Bolsonaro spent two nights at the Hungarian embassy

Jair Bolsonaro spent two nights at the Hungarian embassy in Brasília. Security camera images obtained by “The New York Times” show the former President of Brazil entering the embassy on February 12, four days after the Federal Police confiscated his passport and detained two former advisors, accused of planning a coup d’état after Bolsonaro lost the 2022 elections.

The former Brazilian President remained at the Hungarian embassy until February 14, accompanied by two security guards and the Hungarian ambassador and his staff. Bolsonaro is the target of several criminal investigations and cannot be detained in a foreign embassy that hosts him, as these are legally outside the limits of national authorities, explains the North American daily.

The stay suggests that the former President was trying to take advantage of his friendship with the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, in order to escape the Brazilian judicial system. Still on Monday, after the publication of the article in “The New York Times”, Bolsonaro confirmed his presence at the embassy.

“I’m not going to deny that I was at the embassy, ​​yes. I’m not going to say where else I’ve been. I maintain a circle of friends with some heads of state around the world. They are concerned. I talk to them about matters of interest to our country. And that’s final. The rest is speculation,” he told the Brazilian news portal Metrópoles.

Bolsonaro’s lawyer also stated that the former President stayed at the embassy to discuss politics with Hungarian diplomats. “Any other interpretations are clearly works of fiction. In practice, just another fake news”, says Paulo Cunha Bueno, in a statement cited by “The New York Times”.

The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Hungarian ambassador on Monday to explain the stay, diplomatic sources confirmed to EFE, according to Lusa. The Hungarian ambassador, Miklós Halmai, was received by the secretary for Europe and North America, ambassador Maria Luísa Escorel, but no details about the meeting were provided. The Brazilian Federal Police will investigate the case.

Bolsonaro and Orbán’s mutual praise, from “brother” to “hero”

Bolsonaro and Orbán have maintained a close relationship for some years. The Brazilian called the Hungarian “brother” during a visit to Hungary in 2022. In the same year, the Hungarian Foreign Minister asked an official from Bolsonaro’s government if Budapest could do something to help his re-election, according to the summary of the comments released by the Brazilian Government. In December last year, at the inauguration of the new President of Argentina, Orbán called Bolsonaro a “hero”.

Since leaving office, the former President of Brazil has been investigated for a variety of reasons, from the illegal sale of jewelry he received as state gifts to falsifying vaccination records against Covid-19 in order to travel to the United States. . The house where he lives was searched and his cell phone and passport were confiscated.

On February 8, the police detained some of his main allies and searched the homes of others, as part of suspicions of conspiracy with ministers and collaborators to try to maintain power after the defeat in the elections. Hours later, Orbán published a message of encouragement for the Brazilian, describing him as “an honest patriot” and telling him to “keep fighting.”

After four days, Bolsonaro published a video online to call supporters to a rally in São Paulo on February 25th. “I want to defend myself against all these accusations. Until then, God willing,” he said. On the same day, February 12, he went to the Hungarian embassy, ​​where the country’s ambassador to Brazil was waiting for him.

The place was almost empty, with the exception of the few Hungarian diplomats who live there, as local officials were on vacation – Bolsonaro’s stay took place during the Carnival celebrations. The images reveal that items such as bed linen, water and a coffee machine were transported to two apartments for embassy guests.

On February 14th, Hungarian diplomats contacted local Brazilian employees, who were due to return to work the following day, telling them to stay at home for the rest of the week, without explaining the reason, an embassy official told “ The New York Times.” Bolsonaro left the place that day.

Two weeks later, the planned rally took place in São Paulo, where around 185 thousand supporters were present. Bolsonaro repeated that he is the victim of political persecution. However, Brazil’s Supreme Court released documents showing that Army and Air Force leaders told police that, after losing the 2022 elections, Bolsonaro presented military leaders with a plan to annul the results, which was rejected. This month, the former President said he was not worried about the possibility of being arrested. “I could very well be in another country, but I decided to return here at all costs. I’m not afraid”.