The State Department will issue visas to defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro and his family, allowing them to enter the US, a senior State Department official said.
"The State Department will issue visas to Flavio Bolsonaro and his family and allow them entry into the United States," a senior State Department official said on Tuesday.
The statement came amid reports that Bolsonaro has left the country for the United States despite a judicial travel ban.
Bolsonaro, who faces multiple legal woes, had his passports cancelled but had not surrendered the documents as of Tuesday afternoon.
The New York Times, CNN, and other outlets said he had left Brazil, citing unnamed US officials.
Bolsonaro, who denies any wrongdoing, is reportedly under investigation in cases involving suspected money laundering and currency evasion, as well as the financing of a biographical film about his father, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Shameful departure
Meanwhile, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he had just heard that Flavio Bolsonaro had left Brazil, calling it shameful and saying his rival in Sunday's presidential election should have stayed and proven his innocence.
The 45-year-old was defeated by incumbent Lula da Silva on Sunday and is set to lose his parliamentary immunity as legal woes pile up.
While he cried foul and vowed to challenge the election legally, his party and allies have accepted the result, leaving him increasingly isolated.
