Brasilia, Brazil – Brazilian authorities announced the arrest of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro,
after the Supreme Court deemed him a “real flight risk” while under house arrest.
This development comes after his conviction last September
for conspiring to carry out a military coup.
He was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison,
while the sentence is still under appeal.
Supreme Court Justice Alexander de Moraes said Bolsonaro’s (70) arrest was
a precautionary measure following the emergence of “new facts”.
Among them is his attempt to tamper with the electronic tracking bracelet,
and his call for a public gathering that might help him escape.
Broken electronic bracelet
In a court memo, Morais explained that the house arrest monitoring center detected evidence
of Bolsonaro’s intention to “break the electronic bracelet
to ensure the success of the escape operation.”
He noted that the chaos that could have been caused by the rally called for by his son,
Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, would have made his task easier.
Flavio had called via social media for a gathering in front of his father’s house
“to pray for his health and the return of democracy,” as he put it.
The memo also indicated the possibility that Bolsonaro might seek refuge
in one of the embassies near his home.
This is in light of previous information
about his plans to seek political asylum.
She noted that the US embassy is located about 13 kilometers from his residence.
Bolsonaro is currently being held at the Federal Police headquarters in Brasilia.
He is scheduled to appear for a legal review hearing on Sunday.
political tension
The arrest comes just one day after his lawyer requested that he be
allowed to serve his entire sentence at home under electronic surveillance.
This is in addition to allowing him to leave for treatment due to chronic health problems.
His case caused political tension, especially
after US President Donald Trump criticized the legal proceedings.
He imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports.
The court had convicted Bolsonaro of leading a conspiracy to remain in power.
This comes after he lost the 2022 election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
It was deemed that he incited his supporters
who stormed state institutions in Brasilia in January 2023.
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060.
