Brazil S’Court issues arrest warrant for Bolsonaro weeks before presidential runoff

A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has ordered the arrest of Eduardo Bolsonaro, brother of presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, directing him to begin serving a four-year prison sentence immediately.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the warrant on Thursday, less than three weeks before the October 25 runoff election between incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro, the front-runner after the first round.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, 42, was convicted in June of lobbying the United States to interfere in the trial of his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro. The court found he sought US sanctions against Brazilian officials and higher tariffs on Brazilian exports during proceedings related to an alleged coup plot.

The conviction became final after appeals were exhausted. De Moraes ruled that Eduardo Bolsonaro must start serving his sentence of four years and two months, initially under a semi-open regime, and ordered his Brazilian passports cancelled.

“The defendant cannot benefit from his own wrongdoing by fleeing the national territory to an unknown location for the purpose of thwarting the application of criminal law,” de Moraes said in his ruling.

Federal police were instructed to arrest him if he returns to Brazil. Eduardo Bolsonaro has lived in Texas since 2025 as a US green card holder after resigning his congressional seat and police post to campaign for his father’s release.

De Moraes, whom the Bolsonaro family regards as a political adversary, previously led the investigation that resulted in Jair Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison sentence in 2025 for plotting a coup.

In a statement, Eduardo Bolsonaro described the decision as “arbitrary, ill-timed and ineffectual,” arguing that the United States would not comply with such rulings.

The move is expected to intensify Brazil’s polarised political climate ahead of the runoff.