Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has denied attempting to escape custody, claiming that hallucinations induced by a medication change led him to tamper with his ankle monitor while under house arrest for his role in an attempted coup.
On his first full day in jail, Bolsonaro explained to a judge that he experienced a severe nervous breakdown and hallucinations, which he attributed to a recent change in his medication regimen. This prompted him to interfere with his ankle monitoring device the previous night while under house arrest for his involvement in an attempted coup. He emphasized that he had no intention of fleeing and described the episode as driven by paranoia and curiosity about the device.
According to court documents, Bolsonaro used a soldering iron to attempt to uncover the ankle tag, believing it contained a wiretap due to his altered mental state. He began the tampering around midnight and ceased after approximately an hour, later informing the officers overseeing his custody about the incident. The former president noted that he was accompanied by his daughter, elder brother, and an aide at his residence during this time, but none of them witnessed his actions, as he acted late at night.
Bolsonaro’s legal troubles stem from his conviction in September, where a Supreme Court panel sentenced him to 27 years in prison for attempting to orchestrate a military coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He has been appealing this sentence while under restrictive measures, including house arrest, which was intended to prevent him from fleeing justice while his case undergoes further review.
In the Sunday hearing with Assistant Judge Luciana Sorrentino, Bolsonaro detailed that the hallucinations made him curious about the device, and he speculated that mixing medications from different doctors caused the episode. He claimed that the medication change occurred just four days prior to the event, contributing to his unstable mental state, and stated he had never experienced such an intense breakdown before. This hearing was procedural but allowed his lawyers to argue for his return to house arrest based on health concerns.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro’s preemptive jailing on Saturday after receiving reports of the ankle monitor violation at 12:08 a.m., citing him as a flight risk. This decision escalated his status from house arrest to imprisonment, and de Moraes has previously rejected similar requests related to health issues, though he authorized a visit from Bolsonaro’s wife, Michelle, who was absent during the arrest.
Reacting to the developments, President Lula, at the G20 summit in South Africa, remarked that the court’s decision should be respected, as ‘everyone knows what he did.’ In Brasilia, the arrest sparked mixed reactions, with pro-Bolsonaro protesters demonstrating against his detention and critics applauding the judicial action, highlighting the deep political divisions in Brazil.
Looking ahead, the Supreme Court panel is scheduled to vote on Monday on the preemptive arrest order, which will determine Bolsonaro’s continued detention. This case underscores the ongoing legal and political challenges in Brazil, as the nation grapples with the consequences of alleged anti-democratic actions by its former leader.
