In a significant legal development, Brazil's Supreme Court has firmly rejected a plea from former President Jair Bolsonaro to serve his lengthy prison sentence under house arrest. The court's ruling, delivered on Thursday, stated there were insufficient grounds to grant the request, which was based on the 70-year-old's health condition.
Health Grounds Plea Falls Flat
Bolsonaro's legal team had submitted the request just a day before the ruling. They argued that due to health concerns, the former leader should be permitted to complete his 27-year sentence at his residence. Bolsonaro has been hospitalised for over a week following surgery for a groin hernia and subsequently underwent another procedure to address persistent hiccups, his lawyers confirmed.
However, the Supreme Court justices were not convinced. The court's decision emphasised that the presented medical reasons did not meet the necessary legal threshold to alter the terms of his incarceration from a prison facility to home confinement.
From House Arrest to Prison Custody
This ruling marks an escalation in Bolsonaro's legal status. The former president, who governed Brazil from 2019 to 2022, was taken into federal police custody in November last year. This move came days before he was scheduled to begin serving his sentence for leading an attempted coup in 2022.
According to officials and his aide, Andriely Cirino, federal police officers detained Bolsonaro around 6 am at his upscale home in Brasilia's Jardim Botanico neighbourhood. He was then transferred to the federal police headquarters. The operation was conducted on a directive from the Supreme Court, though specific details were not publicly disclosed.
Political Motivations and Legal Standoff
Bolsonaro has consistently claimed that the charges against him are politically motivated. His arrest last November ended a period of house arrest that had been imposed in August, moving him to full imprisonment.
Following the recent court decision, his defence team's arguments for home-based detention due to health worries have been definitively overruled. The court's stance solidifies the position that the gravity of the conviction for plotting a coup warrants standard prison confinement, setting a clear precedent in this high-profile case.
