Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s administration wants former President Jair Bolsonaro to appear before Brazilian courts in the next few months and is considering options to force him to return to the country if he doesn’t voluntarily come back by the end of March, according to a high-ranking adviser to the leftist leader.
Bolsonaro, who has been vacationing in Florida since before the end of his term last year, is unlikely to face arrest upon his return to Brazil, said the adviser, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive information. The conservative leader is under investigation on several fronts, including for allegedly inciting riots in Brasilia on Jan. 8, but no formal charges have been pressed against him.
Cases involving the former president also include allegations of planning a coup with some of his close aides, some of whom have been arrested, and his unproven claims about the integrity of Brazil’s electronic voting system in an event with foreign ambassadors. He is expected to be questioned during the investigations. If found guilty, he could lose his political rights for several years, which would leave him ineligible to run for president in the next election.
