BRASILIA, April 15, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Brazil's Supreme Court has ordered a criminal investigation of Flavio Bolsonaro, the main rival of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in upcoming elections, over allegations he slandered the nation's leader.

It centers on a January 3 social media post by Bolsonaro, a right-wing senator and son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, in which he linked Lula to drug trafficking, money laundering and electoral fraud.

According to the court order -- obtained by AFP on Wednesday -- Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered federal police to investigate whether Flavio Bolsonaro committed the crime of "slander" against Lula.