On his inaugural day in jail, former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro informed a judge that he had damaged his ankle monitor the previous day while under house arrest due to a mental breakdown and hallucinations triggered by a recent change in his medication.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the 70-year-old ex-leader’s preventive detention because of concerns that he might try to flee. Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison in September for conspiring to stay in power after losing the 2022 election.
According to an official Supreme Court document released on Sunday, Bolsonaro expressed concerns about potential wiretapping in his ankle monitor, leading him to tamper with it. He claimed that the incident was a result of his medication change and denied any intention of escape.
The document also revealed that Bolsonaro, feeling sleep-deprived and paranoid, examined the ankle monitor late at night without his family members noticing. The monitor was found to be tampered with at 12:08 a.m. on Saturday, leading to his subsequent arrest.
In September, a panel of Brazil’s Supreme Court determined that Bolsonaro had orchestrated a coup to retain power after losing to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2022 election. The panel is set to vote on the pre-emptive arrest order on Monday.
During a meeting with an assistant judge, Bolsonaro’s legal team argued for his house arrest due to health concerns, which had been previously rejected. De Moraes permitted a visit from Bolsonaro’s wife Michelle, who was away when he was detained.
Lula commented on Bolsonaro’s arrest at the G20 summit in South Africa, stating that the court’s decision was final and known to all. Meanwhile, supporters of Bolsonaro protested outside the police headquarters, while opponents celebrated his incarceration.
