Brazil’s defeated presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro travelled through Argentina before boarding a private plane bound for Ecuador, Argentinian immigration authorities said on Wednesday.
Bolsonaro was accompanied by his wife Fernanda and their daughters Carolina and Luiza late on Tuesday, the authorities said in a statement released early Wednesday morning on X.
According to the flight plan, the aircraft was headed for the Ecuadorian port city of Guayaquil.
Earlier reports suggested Bolsonaro was planning to flee to the United States after his election defeat to avoid possible legal troubles.
Argentinian immigration authorities said Bolsonaro and his family had entered the country by land in the northern province of Misiones, near the Iguazú Falls, using valid travel documents.
The US had offered visas to Bolsonaro and his family, even before details of his plans became clear. A US official confirmed that they would be allowed to enter the country.
It was initially unclear where, when or how Bolsonaro intended to travel onward from Ecuador.
Bolsonaro had previously failed to comply with an order from Brazil’s Supreme Court to surrender his passports within 24 hours.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes had ordered Bolsonaro’s passports to be invalidated and barred him from leaving the country.
The order was issued as part of an investigation into Bolsonaro and lawyer Willer Tomaz over suspected money laundering linked to businesses and online sports betting.
Bolsonaro, the son of convicted former president Jair Bolsonaro, lost Sunday’s presidential election to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
