🔗 Share this article

The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in September and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.

This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.

His child, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of his move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.

The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.

The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.