Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) criticized Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes in a post on X on Sunday, without mentioning him by name. Bolsonaro said he was in a country where he could express his opinions freely and accused an unnamed judge of sending police to his home to search through his daughters’ underwear drawers.
Moraes is overseeing an investigation into Bolsonaro and his friend Willer Tomaz over suspected money laundering. In connection with the inquiry, Brazil’s Federal Police requested—and Moraes authorized—the cancellation of the senator’s Brazilian passports. Moraes also ordered Bolsonaro to hand over his Italian passport by Tuesday morning, a deadline he did not meet. That night, Bolsonaro crossed into Argentina and flew to Florida with his family.
Moraes’s office was contacted on Sunday evening but did not provide a statement. On Wednesday, the justice said he had not authorized a search-and-seizure operation involving Bolsonaro, calling reports of a judicial order on the matter “entirely false.” He said there had been no statement, order or decision by him or the Supreme Court regarding such a request.
Bolsonaro’s post echoed comments he made during a livestream on Friday, in which he said he was being persecuted and could speak more freely in the United States than in Brazil. He also claimed that a court decision imposing precautionary measures against him came seven minutes after the election result was announced, and described the process as neither democratic nor fair and impartial.
According to Folha, Bolsonaro’s lawyers have asked the Supreme Court to disqualify Moraes from overseeing the investigation and transfer the case to Justice André Mendonça, who is already handling an investigation related to Tomaz. The defense has also sought to overturn the precautionary measures imposed by Moraes, including the cancellation of Bolsonaro’s passports.
Sources: Folha Poder.