On his initial day in prison, former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro informed a judge on Sunday that he had damaged his ankle monitoring device the previous day while on house arrest due to experiencing a nervous breakdown and hallucinations triggered by a recent change in his medication.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the preemptive detention of the 70-year-old ex-president on Saturday citing concerns that he might flee. Bolsonaro had been handed a 27-year prison sentence in September for allegedly plotting a coup to retain power following his electoral loss in 2022.
According to an official Supreme Court document published on Sunday, assistant judge Luciana Sorrentino relayed that Bolsonaro claimed to have hallucinated about being wiretapped through his ankle monitor, prompting him to tamper with it. He mentioned that he had not experienced such a severe breakdown before and attributed it to a recent medication change. Bolsonaro reiterated his denial of any intention to escape.
The document further revealed that Bolsonaro admitted to feeling sleep-deprived and experiencing a sense of paranoia, which led him to investigate the ankle monitor. He mentioned that he was in the company of his daughter, elder brother, and an aide at home, none of whom were aware of his actions with the ankle monitor. His tampering with the device was reported to Justice de Moraes at 12:08 a.m. on Saturday, eventually leading to the arrest order being issued.
In September, a Supreme Court panel had found Bolsonaro guilty of attempting a coup to retain power after losing to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2022 elections.
The same panel is set to deliberate on the preemptive arrest order on Monday.
Bolsonaro’s meeting with the assistant judge on Sunday primarily focused on the legality of his detention, with his legal team advocating for house arrest based on his health condition, a request that had been previously dismissed by the judge.
Additionally, de Moraes permitted former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, who was away from Brasilia during her husband’s arrest, to visit him.
Meanwhile, Lula commented on Bolsonaro’s imprisonment during the G20 summit in South Africa, stating, “The court has made its decision, everyone knows his actions.”
Outside the federal police headquarters, supporters of Bolsonaro called for the removal of Lula and de Moraes from their positions, while critics of the former president celebrated his incarceration.
