Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro, currently under house arrest, is facing new complications in the ongoing coup plot investigation.
Federal police revealed on Wednesday that they had uncovered a draft letter in which Bolsonaro sought political asylum in Argentina.
Investigators included the findings in a 170-page report submitted to the Supreme Court.
The draft, dated February 10, 2024, was found on a phone seized from the former president.
In the letter, Bolsonaro alleged he was the victim of political persecution in Brazil and expressed fears for his safety, appealing directly to Argentine President Javier Milei’s government.
The Associated Press reported that Bolsonaro saved the asylum request two days after authorities searched his home and office as part of a wider probe into an alleged plan to overturn the 2022 election results.
The Argentine government has not commented on the discovery.
Police have also recommended that Bolsonaro and one of his sons face additional charges for obstruction of justice, accusing them of attempting to interfere with legal proceedings.
Suggested charges include coercion in the judicial process and attempting to undermine democratic law.
Bolsonaro’s legal troubles intensified earlier this month when Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered him placed under house arrest.
The measures include a curfew, an electronic ankle monitor, and a ban on using social media.
The restrictions follow accusations that Bolsonaro used public speeches, amplified by his allies and sons online, to disrupt court proceedings.
The far-right former president is accused of leading efforts to overturn his 2022 defeat to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who returned to office after securing a narrow victory.
Bolsonaro continues to deny wrongdoing, while large sections of his support base have staged rallies demanding amnesty.
The court proceedings are ongoing and could reshape Brazil’s political landscape ahead of the next election cycle.