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Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro gestures during a press conference in Brasília on Aug. 5 (local time). / AFP-Yonhap

Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who lost the presidential election to incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was banned from leaving the country and ordered to surrender his passports on Oct. 26 (local time), the day after the election, according to British daily The Guardian, Reuters and other media outlets.

According to the court order, the measures were related to money-laundering allegations under investigation by Brazil's Federal Police.

The court prohibited Bolsonaro from contacting his friend and lawyer Willer Tomaz. Tomaz is reportedly linked to gambling companies suspected of involvement in an illegal money-laundering scheme worth approximately £680 million (about 1.2 trillion won).

The court also ordered Bolsonaro to surrender all his passports within 24 hours, including the diplomatic passport issued to him as a lawmaker.

The order was issued by Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who had presided over the trial of Bolsonaro's father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, on charges of attempting a coup, The Guardian reported. The justice ordered the cancellation and invalidation of Bolsonaro's passports and instructed the Federal Police to register a travel alert in the immigration system to prevent him from leaving Brazil and traveling between countries.

Bolsonaro said on social media that he received the order shortly after visiting his father's house arrest residence in Brasília. He also argued that the measures stemmed from a media interview in which his younger brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, suggested that he should leave Brazil if he lost the presidential election, insisting that he had no intention of leaving the country.

Separately from this case, Bolsonaro is also under investigation over allegations that he requested £20 million (about 35.3 billion won) to finance the production of a film about his father.

Bolsonaro has yet to formally concede the election. He said he would file a lawsuit seeking to annul the presidential election, claiming that a two-hour extension of voting had distorted the results. However, he reportedly received advice from his legal team and close associates that his case lacked sufficient legal grounds.

He also said he would pursue further legal action over allegations of abuse of economic power by President-elect Lula's camp.

                                                                                                           Lee Jeong-eun