Former President Jair Bolsonaro flew home Thursday morning to Brazil, where he faces 20 investigations that could eventually end his political career and even land him in prison
Jair Bolsonaro, the 68-year-old former president of Brazil returned to Brasilia yesterday since he traveled to the United States at the end of last December, shortly before the inauguration of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the subsequent attack on the most important federal buildings in the city by thousands of Bolsonaro supporters.
Without making any public statements or speaking to supporters who were waiting for him at the airport, the former president drove straight to his office. It is still unclear why Bolsonaro decided to leave Brazil after losing the election to Lula, traveling on a tourist visa to Orlando – or why he waited more than three months before returning. He was advised by counselors in Florida that his risk of imprisonment in Brazil was low.
The Washington Post reports that he is the target of 20 investigations, six of which are criminal. The accusations against him are increasing day by day. Authorities are investigating whether he spread fake news about the country’s election system or incited mobs to invade and vandalize the presidential palace, the Supreme Court and Congress after his loss. Senior legal officials told The Washington Post in January that at this stage no evidence has emerged to justify his arrest.