On his initial day in jail, former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro informed a judge on Sunday that he had tampered with his ankle monitor the previous day while under house arrest due to a nervous breakdown and hallucinations triggered by a change in his medication.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the 70-year-old former leader’s preventive detention on Saturday citing concerns of potential flight. Bolsonaro was handed a 27-year prison sentence in September for allegedly plotting a coup to retain the presidency following his 2022 electoral loss.
Assistant judge Luciana Sorrentino relayed that Bolsonaro claimed he experienced ‘hallucinations’ about a possible wiretap in the ankle monitor, prompting him to investigate. He disclosed that this breakdown, possibly induced by recent medication adjustments, was unprecedented for him, insisting he had no intention of escaping.
Adding to this, Bolsonaro mentioned to the judge his struggles with sleep and a sense of “paranoia” that led him to tamper with the ankle monitor. He stated that neither his daughter, elder brother, nor an aide present in his house noticed his actions on the device, which he began to handle late at night and ceased around midnight.
Following reports that Bolsonaro interfered with his ankle monitor at 12:08 a.m. on Saturday, De Moraes swiftly issued the arrest order.
In a ruling last September, Brazil’s Supreme Court determined that Bolsonaro had conspired to orchestrate a coup to retain power after losing to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2022.
The same panel of judges is slated to deliberate on the preventive arrest order on Monday.
Bolsonaro’s interaction with an assistant judge on Sunday centered on the legality of his detention, allowing his legal team to advocate for his return to house arrest due to health concerns, a plea that had been previously dismissed by the judge.
De Moraes granted permission for former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro to visit her husband, who was apprehended by federal police agents while she was away from Brasilia.
Meanwhile, Lula, speaking from the G20 summit in South Africa, commented on Bolsonaro’s incarceration, stating, “The court has made its decision, and everyone is aware of his actions.”
Outside the federal police headquarters, both pro-Bolsonaro demonstrators called for the removal of Lula and de Moraes from their positions, while opponents of the former president hailed his detention.