Moraes says there is no evidence that Bolsonaro sought to obtain diplomatic asylum at an embassy and files action | Policy

This specific action aimed to determine whether Bolsonaro, investigated in inquiries at the STF, failed to comply with precautionary measures, such as the ban on leaving the country. Moraes understood that it was not and shelved the action. The minister maintained the precautionary measures imposed on Bolsonaro.

“There are no concrete elements that indicate – effectively – that the person being investigated intended to obtain diplomatic asylum to escape the country and, consequently, harm the ongoing criminal investigation”, wrote the minister.

Bolsonaro spent two days at the Hungarian embassy in Brasília, says NYT

A report by the North American newspaper “The New York Times” showed videos of Bolsonaro arriving at the embassy. He stayed there between the 12th and 14th of February, after being the target of a Federal Police operation regarding an alleged coup d’état attempt on the 8th of that month.

The stay raised suspicions that the former president could be seeking to protect himself from police investigations, as the territory of an embassy is the sovereignty of the country it represents, and cannot be the target of raids by authorities.

For the minister, there is no clear evidence that this was Bolsonaro’s intention. Moraes also stated that, when going to the Hungarian embassy, ​​the former president did not fail to comply with the order not to leave the country.

“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 No. 56,435/1965, are not considered an extension of foreign territory, which is why it is not envisaged, in this case, any violation of the precautionary measure prohibiting leaving the country”, continued the minister.

At the time the videos were released, Bolsonaro explained that he has a friendly relationship with Hungary and, particularly, with the ambassador, and that he went to the embassy to talk about geopolitical issues.

This Wednesday, after Moraes’ decision, the former president’s lawyers released a statement to say that there was no reason to be suspicious of going to the embassy.

“President Bolsonaro did not fail to comply with any restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court, in fact he always maintained a collaborative stance in relation to all investigations carried out today. 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, demonstrating, therefore, that the absence of minimum elements to suppose the imminent of an imponderable order of preventive detention”, stated the lawyers.

The precautionary measures that continue to be imposed on Bolsonaro are:

• prohibition of maintaining contact with other people under investigation
• prohibition on leaving the country