In the USA, Ramagem says that extradition "will not happen" and mentions returning to Brazil

The impeached federal deputy and former director of Abin (Brazilian Intelligence Agency) Alexandre Ramagem told CNN that his extradition to Brazil "will not happen" and defined 2026 as a "turning year".

"We are safe, fighting for our Brazil here in the United States", said the former parliamentarian at the stadium in New Jersey, minutes before the start of Brazil's game against Norway this Sunday (5).

Ramagem was sentenced by the First Panel of the STF (Supreme Federal Court), in September last year, to 16 years, one month and 15 days in prison in an initial closed regime, in the coup plot process, for the crimes of armed criminal organization, attempted violent abolition of the Democratic State of Law and coup d'état. He denies the allegations.

Even though the Supreme Court banned him from leaving the country, he fled Brazil via the Roraima border with Guyana shortly after his conviction and entered the United States with a diplomatic passport, according to an investigation by the Federal Police. For this reason, he is considered a fugitive from Brazilian justice.

Regarding his legal situation, Ramagem stated that the asylum request presented by him and the extradition process requested by the Brazilian government are being processed in parallel.

"As they know that the extradition will not happen, because they know it is a farce, they tried to deport me clandestinely", he declared, referring to the Brazilian authorities.

The former director of Abin again denied the existence of the coup plot and classified the process as persecution. "They invented this coup farce, they invented crimes against all of us to end the right-wing political segment and imprison Jair Messias Bolsonaro," he stated.

The former president was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison for leading the attempted coup d'état after the 2022 elections and has been in prison since November last year - a situation that Ramagem described in the interview with the words "arrested, kidnapped, censored".

When asked about the possibility of returning to Brazil, Ramagem linked his plans to the presidential election: "With this fight, we will turn 2027, [with] Flávio Bolsonaro and we will return to Brazil."

Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) was nominated by his father, in a letter, as a pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic in the October elections.

Arrest by ICE
Ramagem was arrested on April 13 by ICE (acronym in English for United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement), the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service, in Orlando, Florida, after being caught committing a traffic violation.

The reason for the arrest was his illegal stay in the country, as his visa had expired since March 7th. The former congressman was released two days later, without paying bail, and must remain in the United States until his asylum request, presented under the allegation of political persecution, is analyzed by the American authorities.

In addition to the criminal conviction, Ramagem had the loss of his mandate as a federal deputy decreed by the Board of Directors of the Chamber in December, due to consecutive absences, in the same decision that affected Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP).

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Source: CNN