The former Brazilian president detained after being considered a escape threat

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The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was sentenced of planning a military coup in last fall and given more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.

This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of his transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that he be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.

The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.

Jeffrey Strickland
Jeffrey Strickland

A financial analyst with over a decade of experience in global banking and credit card markets, specializing in consumer finance strategies.