🔗 Share this article

The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and given more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.

This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

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

His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

International Reactions

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

The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, many his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.

The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were detained.

The justices found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.