Minister says there is no evidence to indicate that the former president sought asylum at the Hungarian embassy, but maintained precautionary measures
Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the STF (Supreme Federal Court), ordered the filing of the petition investigating the stay of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) at the Hungarian Embassy in Brasília in February this year.
According to the minister, there is no evidence that proves that Bolsonaro sought political asylum on behalf of the country led by Viktor Orbán. Moraes welcomed the opinion of the PGR (Attorney General’s Office), which understood that there was no crime in the case.
The minister also understood that there was no disrespect for the precautionary measures imposed on Bolsonaro in the Tempus Veritatis operation, when the PF (Federal Police) collected the passport of the former head of the Brazilian Executive. Moraes, however, maintained the measures.
“The locations of diplomatic missions, although they have special protection, under the terms of art. 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, promulgated through Decree 56,435/1965, are not considered an extension of foreign territory, which is why, in this case, no violation of the precautionary measure of “prohibition of being absent from the country” is envisaged., says an excerpt from the decision. Here is the full text (PDF – 126 kB).
In a note, the former president’s defense says that he did not fail to comply with any restrictions imposed by the STF and that he maintained “collaborative stance” in relation to investigations
“There was no reason to consider the possibility of seeking political asylum, since four days before the visit to the Hungarian embassy, several preventive and precautionary detention orders were issued, therefore showing that the absence of minimum elements to suppose the imminence of an imponderable preventive detention order”, says the defense.
BOLSONARO’S STAY
Bolsonaro stayed from February 12th to 14th at the Hungarian embassy in Brasília. The security camera images were obtained by the newspaper New York Times and show Bolsonaro circulating around the place and employees carrying items such as sheets and pillows. The Hungarian ambassador was also present.
After the images at the embassy became public, Moraes gave Bolsonaro 48 hours to explain himself. The defense claimed that it was an invitation from Hungary to discuss the politics of both countries. Bolsonaro, after those 2 days, left the place.
Watch the video that shows Bolsonaro at the Hungarian embassy (59s):
Below is the timeline of Bolsonaro’s trip to the Hungarian embassy.
- 12.Feb.2024 (9:37 pm) – car with Bolsonaro, a black Honda Civic, arrives at the Hungarian embassy in Brasília. He is accompanied by 2 security guards;
- 12.Feb.2024 (9:38 pm) – Bolsonaro, now out of the car, talks to Miklós Halmai, Hungarian ambassador to Brazil. Halmai takes the former president and the 2 security guards to an elevator;
- 12.Feb.2024 (10:42 pm) – embassy employees appear to be taking water, pillows and bedding to where the apartments would be. It is not possible to know who they would be for, but, based on the time and sequence of events, it seems that it would be for Bolsonaro;
- 13.Feb.2024 (7:57 am) – an embassy employee takes a coffee machine to the apartment area;
- 13.Feb.2024 (6:08 pm) – Bolsonaro and a security guard talk outside the embassy;
- 13.Feb.2024 (8:38 pm) – a man gets out of a black Honda Civic, already inside the embassy, with a suitcase and enters the apartment area. He leaves at 9:16 pm;
- 14.Feb.2024 (4:15 pm) – Bolsonaro gets into the black Honda Civic with the security guards (each one appears to be carrying a backpack) and leaves the embassy. Halmai follows and waves to the car.
Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, is an ally of Bolsonaro.
On February 8, the day the operation against the former president was launched, the Hungarian used his social media profiles to https://twitter.com/PM_ViktorOrban/status/1755690603436703911 to the Brazilian. Read the message below:
WHAT JAIR BOLSONARO SAYS
Read the note signed by the former president’s lawyers:
“Former President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro, spent two days staying at the Hungarian embassy in Brasília to maintain contacts with authorities from the friendly country.
“As is public knowledge, the country’s former president maintains a good relationship with the Hungarian premier, with whom he recently met at President Javier Milei’s inauguration, in Buenos Aires.
“In the days he was staying at the Magyar embassy, by invitation, the former Brazilian president spoke with numerous authorities from the friendly country, updating the political scenarios of the two nations.
“Any other interpretations that go beyond the information provided here constitute an evident fictional work, unrelated to the reality of the facts and are, in practice, another list of fake news.”
