WASHINGTON: The US State Department will issue visas to defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro and his family and allow them to enter the United States, US media reported, citing a senior department official.
"The State Department will issue visas to Flavio Bolsonaro and his family and allow them entry into the United States," the official was quoted as saying by US media outlets.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday criticised 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 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.
Bolsonaro, 45, is the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro and has been serving as a senator since 2019.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won Sunday's runoff with 51.79 per cent of valid votes, defeating Bolsonaro, who received 48.21 per cent, according to results released by Brazil's Superior Electoral Court.
Brazilian media reported Monday that Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passports to the Federal Police and barred him from leaving the 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.