Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has ordered Senator Flavio Bolsonaro to surrender his travel documents and cease contact with businessman Willer Tomaz.
Under a sealed ruling obtained by CNN, the justice ordered the immediate cancellation of the Brazilian passport issued to Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. The decision also directed the senator to surrender any foreign passports or travel documents issued in his name within a 24-hour deadline.
Federal Police officers served the formal subpoena on Bolsonaro on Monday morning, October 26, directing the federal lawmaker to comply with the judicial measures and surrender all international travel documents to authorities.
Both Bolsonaro and Tomaz are subjects of the same ongoing Supreme Federal Court inquiry. The case is examining allegations of money laundering and currency evasion, a federal financial offense known in Brazilian law as evasão de divisas, which involves the unlawful transfer or concealment of funds abroad.
Supreme Court money laundering inquiry
Tomaz, a practicing attorney and businessman, was targeted earlier this year in Operation Sem Desconto, a separate federal police investigation examining alleged irregularities within the National Social Security Institute. Known as the INSS, the government agency oversees public pensions and social security benefits across Brazil. Following that police operation, Tomaz departed the country and moved to the United States.
Flavio Bolsonaro represents the state of Rio de Janeiro in the Federal Senate for the Liberal Party. He is an influential figure in the conservative party and ran as a candidate in this year's presidential succession, where he was defeated in the national vote.
The Supreme Federal Court, located in the capital city of Brasilia, serves as Brazil's constitutional tribunal and exercises jurisdiction over sitting members of the National Congress. Justice Moraes has given Bolsonaro 24 hours from the delivery of the notice to surrender any travel documents, while the broader inquiry into the alleged financial crimes remains under judicial secrecy.
