UPDATE - Defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro arrives in US despite travel ban: Report

REVISES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE, ADDS REPORT ON BOLSONARO'S ARRIVAL IN US

By Laura Gamba and Ahmet Salih Alacaci

BOGOTA, Colombia/WASHINGTON (AA) - Brazil's defeated presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro reportedly arrived in the US on Tuesday despite a judicial travel ban, with Brazilian media saying his brother Eduardo met him in Miami after helping arrange his departure.

The Brazilian newspaper O Globo reported, citing family allies, that Bolsonaro arrived on a flight to Miami, where he was received by Eduardo, who allegedly helped coordinate his departure with US authorities.

Eduardo, who lives in Texas, traveled to Florida with his wife and children to welcome his brother and his family, according to the report.

A senior US State Department official had earlier confirmed to Anadolu on Tuesday that Washington would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family and allow them to enter the country.

The developments came after Brazil's Federal Police canceled Bolsonaro's regular and diplomatic passports Tuesday when he failed to comply with a court order requiring him to surrender the documents within 24 hours.

Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the order Monday, a day after Bolsonaro lost the presidential runoff to incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The restrictions stem from an investigation into suspected money laundering and currency evasion involving financial transactions linked to attorney Willer Tomaz, an associate of Bolsonaro.

The senator is also under investigation in a separate case involving the financing of Dark Horse, a biographical film about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro. Authorities are examining alleged payments connected to Daniel Vorcaro, the former owner of the now-defunct financial institution Banco Master.

Bolsonaro, who denies any wrongdoing, said Monday that he had no intention of leaving Brazil.

“I have never thought about leaving the country. I will hand over my passports and defend myself against this travesty,” he said, describing the judicial order as “a clear attempt to intimidate me.”

He made the remarks after visiting his father, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence under house arrest in Brasilia.

President Lula criticized his defeated rival's reported departure Tuesday, calling it "shameful" and suggesting that Bolsonaro had fled to avoid facing justice.

“He could have stayed and proven that the accusations against him are not true,” Lula said. “If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. A citizen who sneaks out of their own country does so because they have something to hide.”

- Questions over departure route

Speculation about Bolsonaro's whereabouts intensified Tuesday after Argentine media reported that he had crossed into Argentina by land using his national identity card and planned to board a private flight to Miami with his wife and daughters.

The reports centered on a Gulfstream G400 private jet registered as LV-JQW and operated by Argentine charter company Baires Fly SA which arrived at Puerto Iguazu airport near the Brazilian border from Buenos Aires late Monday.

The aircraft had been expected to depart for the US with four passengers and three crew members but remained on the ground Tuesday.

Argentine media reported that aviation authorities had withheld departure clearance over regulatory issues, while other reports indicated that the planned passengers never arrived and the flight was canceled.

However, Argentina's National Directorate of Migration said it had no record of Bolsonaro entering the country and that no flight plan had been submitted listing members of his family.

The agency said authorities had inspected the aircraft and its crew and found the company's documentation in order.

Brazilian federal police also found no record of Bolsonaro leaving the country through an official immigration checkpoint and began examining border crossings and flight records to determine how he may have departed.

Bolsonaro's campaign coordinator, Sen. Rogerio Marinho, initially denied that he had left Brazil, while Eduardo dismissed the reports as a "lie."

Marinho later said Bolsonaro had sent him a message Tuesday morning saying he needed time to clear his head before becoming unreachable. According to O Globo, allies had urged Bolsonaro during a meeting Monday to remain in Brazil and lead the opposition following his election defeat.

Bolsonaro's reported departure comes two days after Lula defeated him in a presidential runoff to secure a fourth term in office.

The senator initially called for the election result to be annulled, although his Liberal Party has acknowledged Lula's victory.

Ahmet Salih Alacaci,Laura Gamba Fadul