Lula calls Flavio Bolsonaro's departure from Brazil 'shameful'

Rio De Janeiro: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday criticised defeated presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro for leaving the country following the election, calling the move "shameful."

"I regret that he left Brazil ... And his decision to leave Brazil is shameful," Lula told supporters who gathered outside the Alvorada Palace, the presidential residence in Brasilia, to celebrate his 81st birthday, reports Xinhua news agency.

Federal lawmaker Mauricio Marcon of the Liberal Party said Tuesday that Flavio Bolsonaro had left Brazil and was heading to the United States.

Brazil's Supreme Federal Court on Monday barred Flavio Bolsonaro from leaving the country. According to Brazilian media reports, the judicial order is related to a money-laundering investigation by the court in which Bolsonaro and lawyer Willer Tomaz are both under investigation.

Bolsonaro's departure has not been officially confirmed. Brazilian media reported that there was no record in the country's immigration control system indicating that he had left Brazil through regular border controls.

The Federal Police were investigating whether and how he might have left the country.

Brazil's Supreme Federal Court justice orders Flavio Bolsonaro to surrender passports, bars him from leaving country. The confidential ruling is part of an investigation involving Bolsonaro and lawyer Willer Tomaz, according to Brazil's public news agency Agencia Brasil.

Moraes also prohibited Bolsonaro from contacting Tomaz, Brazilian media reported. Both men are under investigation by the Federal Police on suspicion of money laundering and illegal foreign exchange transactions.

Lula defeated Bolsonaro in Sunday's presidential runoff, winning 51.79 per cent of the valid votes against Bolsonaro's 48.21 per cent.

Bolsonaro, 45, is the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro and has been serving as a senator since 2019.

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