On Monday, Brazil's foreign ministry summoned the Hungarian ambassador to explain why the South American country's embattled former president, Jair Bolsonaro, spent two nights "hiding" at Hungary's Embassy in Brazil last month.
Security footage obtained by the New York Times revealed that the right-wing populist sought shelter in the embassy in early February, just a short drive from the presidential palace that Bolsonaro had previously occupied. This was four days after two of his aides were arrested on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the Brazilian government.
Brazil Probes Bolsonaro's Stay at the Hungarian Embassy
According to the New York Times, Bolsonaro may have been attempting to avoid the Brazilian legal system by using his friendship with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as he faces criminal investigations at home.
On Monday, Bolsonaro confirmed the report, telling the Brazilian website Metrópoles, "I won't deny that I was in the embassy ... I won't say where else I've been. I have a circle of friends with some heads of state around the world. I talk to them about matters that are in our country's best interest. The rest is speculation."
A statement released by the former president's attorneys said that alternative interpretations amounted to a work of fiction, with no connection to the reality of the facts, and were fake news. It added that the president had remained in the embassy to stay in contact with the officials of a friendly country.
Bolsonaro, who lost power in late 2022 after losing to leftist rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the presidential election, is facing multiple criminal investigations over allegations that he attempted to embezzle expensive foreign gifts, falsified his COVID vaccination records and plotted to topple the government of his successor.
On February 8, Bolsonaro was forced to turn over his passport as part of the federal police investigation into the alleged attempted coup on January 8, 2023. Marcelo Costa Câmara and Filipe Martins, two close aides, were arrested, and addresses connected to influential former Bolsonaro administration officials were searched.
Orbán shared a picture of himself shaking Bolsonaro's hands and saying encouraging words on X, formerly Twitter, that evening. "An honest patriot. Keep on fighting, Mr. President!"
According to photos obtained by the New York Times, a black saloon car showed up at the entrance of Hungary's embassy in Brazil four days later, on Monday, February 12, at 9:34 pm. Miklós Halmai, the ambassador, appeared to let his guest in after three minutes and brought Bolsonaro inside.
The former president reportedly remained at the embassy until the afternoon of February 14. Bolsonaro did not explain why he had decided to go to the embassy.
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Bolsonaro Breaks Silence Amid Coup Allegations
Bolsonaro openly expressed his concerns about suffering the same fate as Bolivia's former president, Jeanine áñez. áñez received a 10-year prison sentence in 2022 after it was determined that she had participated in the alleged coup in 2019, which had propelled her to power following the overthrow of President Evo Morales.
Before his election defeat, Bolsonaro declared that he could only imagine three outcomes for himself: triumph, incarceration, or death. According to the New York Times video, a fourth option might be on the table right now: moving into the Hungarian embassy, where international law protects him from arrest.
Reports of his two-day vacation at the embassy sparked calls for Bolsonaro's detention to stop him from evading justice. Augusto de Arruda Botelho, the former national secretary of justice, tweeted that Bolsonaro's attempt to hide in the embassy is a classic motive for preventive detention.
Other social media users also criticized Bolsonaro by using the hashtag "Bolsonaro fujão," which means "Bolsorunaway."
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