After a three-month stay in the US, Mr. Jair Bolsonaro Lule returned to Brazil today for the first time since losing the presidential election, determined to play an important role in the country’s political life.

A far-right ex-president who being investigated by justice in several caseshe faces prosecution and, if convicted, a prison term or even a ban from politics.

Bolsonaro, President of Brazil from 2019 to 2022, arrived at Brasilia International Airport shortly before 07:00 (13:00 Greek time) from Orlando, Florida.

According to an AFP reporter, about 200 of his fans were waiting for him with Brazilian flags on their shoulders and singing. But Bolsonaro left the airport without contacting them. CNN Brasil broadcast footage of the motorcade leaving the airport.

J. Bolsonaro left Brazil on December 30, before his term expired, boycotting Lula’s swearing-in ceremony on January 1.

“I want to participate in the political life of my party, offering it my experience,” he told CNN Brazil yesterday, Wednesday evening, from Orlando airport.

After a defeat with less than two million votes that silenced him, Bolsonaro, 68, said last week that he intends to participate in the country’s political life to defend Brazil’s ultra-conservative values.

His return caused nervousness in Brazil, where the military police were ready in case of rallies to quickly close access to the Plaza of the Three Powers, in the heart of the capital, as well as to the airport.

On the political front, “Lula will now have to govern with an organized opposition, which could make a big difference,” Zairo Nicolau, a political scientist at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), told AFP.

Bolsonaro’s return to Brazil comes at a time when President Lula is going through a difficult period, less than three months after taking office.

After the PL office, Bolsonaro was expected to head to his new residence in a heavily guarded residential complex in Brazil’s Jardim Botanico neighborhood with his 41-year-old wife Michelle, who had just taken over as PL women’s president and could run for president in 2026.

The former president is returning to his country as controversy continues over the luxurious jewelry worth at least three million euros he received from Saudi Arabia as a gift to his wife. Authorities are investigating whether he broke the law by bringing them into the country without a declaration, and on April 5 he was subpoenaed to testify.

At the same time, he is under investigation in five cases before the Supreme Court of Brazil, and he has lost his immunity.

The most recent case concerns his role in the January 8 riots and the storming of government buildings in Brazil, in which thousands of his supporters were robbed.

The remaining four cases involve wrongdoing allegedly committed during his tenure, such as spreading disinformation about the electronic voting system and combating the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is noted that the Supreme Electoral Court is investigating more than 16 cases in which Bolsonaro is allegedly involved.

The information does not exclude that he could be sentenced to eight years of exclusion from political life, which will prevent him from running in the 2026 presidential election.

Source: APE-MPE-AFP.

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