Brazil's ex-president Bolsonaro arrested over fears he planned to flee Brazil
Bolsonaro was sentenced in September to over 27 years in prison for attempting a coup d’état following his loss to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro was arrested Saturday after a judge deemed him a flight risk following his conviction on charges that he attempted a coup after his 2022 election defeat.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro’s detainment after his eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, called on supporters to stage a vigil in front of the residence where the former leader is under house arrest. Authorities believed there was a credible threat that Bolsonaro could attempt to seek refuge at a foreign embassy in Brasilia amid “chaos” caused by such a vigil, Moraes wrote in an order.
Bolsonaro was sentenced in September to 27 years and three months in prison for attempting a coup d’état following his loss to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Under house arrest since August, Bolsonaro, 70, was taken into custody by Federal Police and held at its headquarters in Brasilia. He had earlier been ordered to wear an ankle monitor, and concerns over flight risk stemmed from evidence that he had tampered with the device, according to Moraes’ order.
The panel of judges overseeing Bolsonaro’s case denied an initial appeal of the conviction earlier this month. His lawyers, who alleged “profound injustices” in his trial, have requested he serve the sentence under house arrest due to his advanced age and poor health. Despite Saturday’s arrest, judges could still grant that request.
The arrest is the latest step in the swift downfall of the former Army captain who surged from the back benches of Brazil’s Congress to its presidency on a wave of anti-establishment sentiment in 2018. It comes at a time when the leftist Lula — Bolsonaro’s political arch-nemesis — is riding high after winning major tariff relief from Donald Trump, the US president who placed punishing levies on Brazil in a bid to help Bolsonaro escape his legal troubles.
The case against Bolsonaro stemmed from an investigation into the Jan. 8, 2023 insurrection attempt in Brasilia, where thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed federal buildings while urging the military to oust Lula a week after he took office.
Prosecutors later charged Bolsonaro and seven allies, including military personnel and former members of his cabinet, of plotting an overthrow attempt that included plans to assassinate Lula, his vice president and Moraes.
Before his own arrest in 2018, Lula’s supporters staged vigils in which massive crowds showed up to support the leftist leader who had been convicted on corruption charges a year prior. Lula, who previously governed Brazil from 2003 to 2010, served 580 days in prison before the convictions were annulled, setting the stage for his political comeback and defeat of Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro’s trial triggered a rapid deterioration in US-Brazil relations after Trump announced 50% tariffs on many Brazilian goods in a bid to get the court to drop the charges. The White House later added sanctions and visa restrictions on officials and their family members.
The two largest economies in the Americas are now working to mend ties, with Lula saying he expects a “definitive solution” to the trade spat after they met in Malaysia in October.
Instead of aiding Bolsonaro, Trump’s intervention provided a boost to the leftist leader’s approval, with the once-embattled Lula ranking as the most popular of South America’s major presidents in October.
Bolsonaro’s legal woes have also complicated the Brazilian right’s search for a challenger to Lula in 2026 presidential elections. The former president has continued insisting on his intention to run again despite the conviction and an eight-year ban from seeking or holding office, leaving potential successors in limbo as they try to position for the race.
Investors have considered Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas, a former minister in Bolsonaro’s government, a likely candidate next year. Members of the Bolsonaro family, including his wife Michelle, are also considered possible options.
