By Luciana Magalhaes and Ricardo Brito
SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Wednesday he has been invited to the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 and is seeking to obtain the return of his passport, confiscated last year amid a probe into an attempted coup in 2023.
Bolsonaro has been barred from running for political office in Brazil until 2030 and faces criminal charges for allegedly plotting a coup. He denies any wrongdoing.
His passport was retained in February 2024 on the order of a Brazilian Supreme Court judge.
The invitation was confirmed by Bolsonaro on his X account and by his advisor, Fabio Wajngarten, who told Reuters that the former president is willing to go.
On his X account, Bolsonaro expressed his “honor at receiving the invitation”. He also said that his lawyer, Paulo Bueno, has already requested Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes release his passport for the trip.
Rubens Beçak, a law professor at the University of Sao Paulo, said Brazil’s courts are unlikely to grant his request.
“There are several investigations and cases in the courts against him, and what prompted the retention of his passport was precisely avoiding a possible escape,” he said.
Trump’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Luciana Magalhaes in Sao Paulo and Ricardo Brito in Brasilia; additional reporting by Isabel TelesEditing by Alexandra Hudson and Nia Williams)
