Key Bolsonaro ally arrested in Paraguay while trying to flee to El Salvador

Former Brazilian Police Chief Arrested in Paraguay with Fake Passport

A Brazilian former police chief, Silvinei Vasques, was arrested at the Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in Asuncion, Paraguay’s capital, on Friday. According to the Paraguayan National Migration Directorate (DNM), Vasques was detained for “identity theft” after attempting to board a flight to Panama with a fake Paraguayan passport.

Vasques, 50, had previously fled Brazil following his conviction as an accomplice in the attempted coup by former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. He had been sentenced to over 24 years in prison and was under supervision with an electronic ankle monitor pending trial.

The DNM stated that Vasques entered Paraguay clandestinely and evaded immigration controls by impersonating a Paraguayan citizen. He was attempting to board a flight to El Salvador when he was arrested.

Vasques’s arrest follows a similar incident involving former intelligence agency director Alexandre Ramagem, who fled Brazil in September and has been living in the United States since then. Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes had ordered Vasques’s preventive detention as a precautionary measure on Friday.

The former police chief was handed over to Brazilian Federal Police authorities at the Friendship Bridge border crossing after being expelled from Paraguay by the DNM. This incident highlights the ongoing efforts to bring those involved in the 2023 coup attempt to justice.

Source: Al Jazeera