Paraguay Hands Ex-PRF Chief Silvinei Vasques to Brazil After Airport Arrest

Overview

• Vasques was detained at Asunción’s Silvio Pettirossi Airport while trying to board a flight to El Salvador using a Paraguayan passport issued with another person’s data.
• Paraguayan authorities confirmed his identity by sending a photo to Brazilian investigators, then expelled him and delivered him to Federal Police at the Ponte da Amizade.
• He spent the night in Federal Police custody in Foz do Iguaçu and is slated for transfer to Brasília to begin enforcement steps tied to his case.
• Minister Alexandre de Moraes ordered preventive detention after reports that Vasques violated court restrictions by breaching electronic monitoring and leaving Brazil without authorization.
• The arrest follows his December 16 conviction by the Supreme Federal Court to 24 years and six months for actions tied to the 2022 election, including using PRF operations to hinder voting in Lula-leaning regions.