Brazil’s ex-president Jair Bolsonaro arrested after court deems him ‘high flight risk’

Brasilia: Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was taken into custody on Saturday, according to his lawyer and a court document, as he faces trial for a botched coup attempt following his 2022 election defeat.

The far-right leader, who had been under house arrest since August, was detained on the orders of Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes, who is leading the trial. The judge ruled that Bolsonaro presented a "high flight risk," citing information that the former president planned to break his ankle monitor during a rally scheduled outside his home later that day.

Bolsonaro’s lawyer, Celso Vilardi, confirmed the detention to AFP, stating, "he has been imprisoned, but I don't know why." Police later issued a statement confirming they had "executed a preventive arrest request in compliance with a Supreme Court decision," without naming the former president. Sources close to the case clarified that the detention was a precautionary measure and not the start of his prison sentence.

Sentenced in September

Bolsonaro, who governed Brazil from 2019 to 2022, was sentenced to 27 years in prison in September. He was convicted of leading a criminal organization that conspired to maintain his "authoritarian hold on power." The plot allegedly included plans to assassinate his rival, the current leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and Supreme Court Judge de Moraes.

An appeal of his sentence was rejected last week, moving him closer to serving his term. His legal team is preparing to file further appeals before a Monday deadline and had requested he be allowed to serve his sentence under house arrest, citing his extensive health issues.

What are the health concerns

Bolsonaro’s lawyers have argued that the former president's medical needs are "absolutely incompatible with a common prison environment" and that sending him to prison "will have serious consequences and represents a risk to his life."

The 70-year-old suffers ongoing health complications from a 2018 stab wound to the abdomen and requires continuous treatment for conditions including pulmonary infections, esophagitis, and gastritis. His lawyers noted he has been hospitalised three times since being placed under house arrest in August.

They also highlighted that another former president, Fernando Collor de Mello, was permitted to serve his nearly nine-year corruption sentence at home on health grounds in May.

AFP inputs