On his initial day in detention, former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro informed a judge on Sunday that he had damaged his ankle monitor 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 imprisonment on Saturday citing concerns about him fleeing. Bolsonaro was handed a 27-year jail term in September for his involvement in a coup attempt to cling to power following his defeat in the 2022 election.
During an online meeting with the ex-president, assistant judge Luciana Sorrentino revealed that Bolsonaro claimed he experienced “hallucinations” about his ankle monitor being bugged, leading him to tamper with it. Bolsonaro admitted to feeling a level of paranoia and sleeplessness, attributing it to a recent change in his medication. He denied any intention to escape and mentioned that no one else in the house witnessed his actions with the ankle monitor.
The breach of Bolsonaro’s ankle monitor occurred at 12:08 a.m. on Saturday, leading to his subsequent arrest. The Supreme Court’s ruling in September found Bolsonaro guilty of attempting a coup to retain power after losing to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2022 election. The court is set to vote on the preemptive arrest order on Monday.
Meanwhile, Bolsonaro’s legal team argued for his house arrest on health grounds during the procedural meeting with the assistant judge. Despite past rejections of similar requests, Bolsonaro was granted a visit from his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, who was away from Brasilia when he was taken into custody. Lula, speaking at the G20 summit in South Africa, commented on Bolsonaro’s imprisonment, emphasizing the court’s decision and the public’s awareness of Bolsonaro’s actions.
Supporters of Bolsonaro protested outside the police headquarters, calling for the removal of Lula and de Moraes from their positions, while opponents of the former president celebrated his incarceration.