🔗 Share this article

Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.

This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.

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

His child, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."

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

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's determination was the potential of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

He was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brasília.

The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.

The justices found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.