Brazilian Supreme Court judge orders former president Jair Bolsonaro to be placed under permanent surveillance
A Brazilian Supreme Court judge on Tuesday ordered police to impose continuous surveillance on former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently under house arrest and required to wear an electronic bracelet to track his movements, due to a flight risk.
In a court document, Judge Alexandre de Moraes asked the police to impose “continuous surveillance” on the former president by “deploying units at the address where the accused has been under house arrest” since August 4.
Judge Moraes is in charge of the trial of Bolsonaro, (70), on charges of plotting a coup attempt.
The final stage of the trial is scheduled to take place from September 2 to 12.
The far-right former president, accused of conspiring to remain in power autocratically after losing the 2022 election to leftist former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, faces a possible 40-year prison sentence.
The heightened surveillance of Bolsonaro follows a request submitted by Lindbergh Farias, a deputy from President Lula’s party, warning of a real risk of the former president fleeing Brazil.
The public prosecutor’s office reviewed the request and, in light of it, decided to ask the court to take these precautionary measures.
To justify his decision, Judge Moraes cited several factors, including the fact that Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, the former president’s son, is leading a pressure campaign from the United States to pressure American authorities to intervene on his father’s behalf.
According to Judge Moraes, “Eduardo Bolsonaro’s continued actions from a foreign country demonstrate the potential for Jair Bolsonaro to flee the law, especially as the Supreme Court hearings approach”.
It’s worth noting that former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, was close to US president Trump, as he used to be called “Trump of Brazil”, as in this regard, US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 50% tariff on a portion of Brazilian exports to the United States, citing the persecution campaign against his far-right ally.
