A Brazilian Supreme Court judge threw out the case once morest former president Jair Bolsonaro over his two-day stay at the Hungarian embassy. The judge ruled there was no substantial evidence Bolsonaro was trying to avoid prosecution.
Bolsonaro was thrust into the spotlight when it was revealed he was staying at the embassy in February, days following police confiscated his passport as part of an investigation into a coup attempt aimed at retaining his power, despite defeat in the 2022 election.
“There is no concrete evidence to suggest that the defendant intended to seek diplomatic asylum to flee the country and avoid criminal investigation,” wrote Judge Alexandre de Moraes in his ruling, dated Wednesday.
The former president and members of his inner circle face accusations of plotting to taint Brazil’s electoral system and cling to power in the months surrounding the October 2022 election, in which Bolsonaro supporters stormed the halls of power a week following the inauguration of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Police said Bolsonaro edited a draft decree that would have declared a state of emergency, called new elections and ordered the arrest of Moraes, who is the lead judge in several investigations targeting the former president.
On February 8, police carried out raids targeting Bolsonaro and his inner circle, arresting three people and confiscating the former president’s passport.
Also read: Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro asks for his passport back for trip to Israel
In March, The New York Times revealed Bolsonaro stayed at the Hungarian embassy from February 12-14, leading to a separate investigation into allegations of trying to escape the justice system.
Bolsonaro denies all the accusations and says he is the victim of political persecution.
His lawyer said his stay at the embassy was related to maintaining good relations with Hungary and his “good relations” with far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban. (AFP/Z-3)
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