🔗 Share this article

The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The ex-president was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.

This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: Do you plan to struggle 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 "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of the former president's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

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

They also requested that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.

The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and return him to office.

At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.