Ricardo Salles resigned earlier this week after being accused of approving the illegal export of timber from the Amazon.
A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has revoked the passport of former Environment Minister Ricardo Salles, who resigned earlier this week amid an investigation into his alleged role in allowing illegal timber exports of the Amazon rainforest.
Judge Carmen Lucia said in a ruling that Salles was barred from leaving the country after federal prosecutors filed a motion to consider him a risk of flight.
The former minister was given 24 hours to hand over the passport to the police, according to court document.
Salles could not be contacted immediately for comment. The former minister has denied any wrongdoing.
In May, federal police revealed that Salles and several other government officials were being investigated on charges of possible corruption and other crimes in allowing illegal timber exports from the Amazon rainforest recorded in the United States and Europe.
Earlier this month, Lucia also began an investigation into whether Salles had obstructed the police record probe.
Salles resigned on Wednesday, saying he wanted to allow Brazil’s national and international agenda to run as smoothly as possible.
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon increased during Salles’ term, reaching a maximum of 12 years in 2020 with an area seven times larger than that of London destroyed.