🔗 Share this article

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

The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and given more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.

This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.

His son, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's determination was the chance of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

The former president was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.