Brazil's Federal Police have been authorised to investigate Flávio Bolsonaro — senator and presidential candidate, and eldest son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro — over social media posts he published in January that appeared to link incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to criminal activity. The posts, published in the wake of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's arrest, included screenshots of a handcuffed Maduro alongside insinuations about Lula and the São Paulo Forum (a regional left-wing political alliance). Under Brazil's penal code, defamation is a criminal offence and can carry heightened penalties when directed at a sitting head of state; police have 60 days to complete their initial inquiry, while Bolsonaro's team denies any wrongdoing, arguing the posts merely described crimes for which Maduro is being prosecuted internationally. The case adds fresh turbulence to an already charged race ahead of Brazil's October 2026 general election, where polls currently show Bolsonaro and Lula running neck and neck.