Flávio Bolsonaro files criminal complaint against President Lula in Brazil's Supreme Court

Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL‑RJ) submitted a “notícia‑crime” to the Supreme Federal Court demanding an inquiry into President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro’s petition cites Lula’s remarks at the inauguration of the Instituto Federal Goiano campus in Catalão, where Lula said “traitors of the fatherland deserve punishment worse than the gallows,” referring to the Bolsonaro family. The complaint argues that the televised statement incited crime and threatened public order.

In a separate request, Bolsonaro asked Justice Alexandre de Moraes to authorize the Federal Police to investigate a meeting Lula allegedly held after the U.S. detention of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The request seeks testimony from Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado, U.S. prosecutor Walter Clayton III, and other officials, and aims to obtain U.S. investigation documents. Both filings underscore growing political tension between Lula’s administration and Bolsonaro‑aligned lawmakers.