Jair Bolsonaro stands at the center of Brazil’s most significant political scandal of the moment, tied to the investigation into the January 8, 2023, attempt to overturn the government. He also features prominently in a diplomatic controversy between Brazil and Hungary, led by the close ally Viktor Orbán. The New York Times recently disclosed that the former president spent two full days inside the Hungarian embassy last month, a claim supported by unmistakable evidence: security footage from the residence where Bolsonaro is believed to have sought political refuge was recorded.
The Brazilian Ministry of External Affairs responded swiftly. The chancellerie summoned Hungary’s ambassador, Miklós Halmai, to demand explanations about the extended stay of the former army captain at the European nation’s diplomatic mission, just two days after the Federal Police had seized his passport in connection with the January 8 events. The Lula da Silva government expressed its displeasure, with the ambassador to Europe and North America, Maria Luisa Escorel de Moraes, conveying the sentiment on behalf of Itamaraty.
Halmai reportedly remained at Itamaraty for about twenty minutes. According to sources cited by the São Paulo daily Folha de S. Paulo, he listened to Brazil’s diplomatic complaints without offering comments. The Rio de Janeiro-based O Globo added that the ambassador chose not to answer most of the questions posed by the government, and that he offered arguments aligned with Bolsonaro’s defense while characterizing the overnight stays as a normal occurrence.
Bolsonaro’s legal team confirmed the unusual overnight stay at the embassy. The reasons for his 48 hours within the mission were striking: the former president went there to maintain contact with authorities from Brazil’s allied state and to discuss political scenarios for the two nations. The conversations continued for two days.
Brazil’s foreign ministry faces a dual grievance: not only did the Hungarian ambassador welcome a political opponent of Lula, but the gesture has been read as interference by Hungary’s government, led by Viktor Orbán, in Brazil’s internal affairs. Hungary has emerged as a hub of conservative activity on the world stage, and ties between Orbán and Bolsonaro strengthened during Bolsonaro’s tenure. The two leaders even met in Buenos Aires on December 10, amid the celebrations surrounding the inauguration of far-right figure Javier Milei, who is himself under judicial scrutiny and facing multiple legal issues.
Was there an attempted escape?
The Federal Police have opened the matter for scrutiny. Some sources connected to the investigation, as reported by Brazilian media, caution against prematurely concluding that Bolsonaro tried to flee. Still, a heated debate is taking place within Brazil’s principal judicial authority about whether the former president sought to evade arrest, potentially triggering an arrest warrant. The implication is that a move to leave the country during a sensitive investigation could justify detention.
Brazilian outlets report that Alexandre de Moraes, who heads the Supreme Federal Court inquiry into the January 8 events, is considering whether the former president might wear an electronic ankle bracelet as the investigation continues. De Moraes has given Bolsonaro 48 hours to explain why he spent two days inside the Hungarian embassy, a period during which the judicial process aimed to determine if there existed a “criminal organization” attempting to destabilize Lula’s government. A São Paulo newspaper noted that when the Supreme Court asked Bolsonaro to surrender his passport, the aim was to prevent his exit from the country. If Bolsonaro indeed stayed inside the embassy for two days in Brasilia, he effectively avoided the reach of Brazil’s courts for that period. The article added that offering international protection has, in practice, occurred in similar cases.
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