🔗 Share this article

The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The ex-president was found guilty of planning a military coup in last fall and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.

High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.

This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.