The ex-wife of presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro (PSL), Ana Cristina Valle, told Brazilian diplomats in 2011 that she suffered death threats from Bolsonaro, which led her to leave the country.

Folha's reporters had access to the account, which is recorded in a private cable archived in Palácio do Itamaraty, where the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located. At the time, Bolsonaro and Valle were fighting a custody battle over their son Renan, 12 years old at the time.

"Ms. Ana Cristina Siqueira Valle said she left Brazil two tears ago [in 2009] 'because she received death threats' from the child's father [Bolsonaro]. She thought that this fact could be grounds for political asylum in this country [Norway]," says the document, signed by Carlos Henrique Cardim, at the time Brazil's ambassador in Norway.

Further on, Valle said she considered that by contacting her, the vice-consul was "acting in the name of Representative Jair Bolsonaro".
 

Currently, Valle is using Bolsonaro's last name and is also running for a Representative seat for party Podemos in Rio. She says she is endorsing her former husband's presidential run and considers the episode "over", although she admitted that Bolsonaro pressured her back then.

As Folha reported last Sunday (23rd), Bolsonaro requested the Foreign Service to intervene in his favor after his ex-wife traveled to Norway with their child.

According to information both in the Foreign Service's website and a statement sent to Folha, the agency can't interfere in personal matters of Brazilian expatriates. However, diplomats did locate and contacted Ana Cristina Valle in 2011, at Bolsonaro's request.

The other side

Jair Bolsonaro had not replied Folha's request for comments until this article's posting.
Ana Cristina Valle attacked Folha's story in a video posted on social media and denied receiving death threats from her ex-husband.

^{​Translated by NATASHA MADOV}

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