Brazil's Bolsonaro to remain under house arrest

BRASILIA, July 3 – Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has ruled that former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro can remain under house arrest due to health concerns, a court decision showed on Friday.

Bolsonaro, 71, has been serving a 27-year prison sentence since November for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The defense successfully sought to keep the former president under house arrest, arguing that Bolsonaro would receive better medical care at home given his health problems. The former president, who was stabbed on the campaign trail in 2018, has faced major health issues in recent years.

“At this time, the continuation of humanitarian house arrest appears reasonable, appropriate and proportionate,” Moraes said in the decision, noting Bolsonaro has shown health improvement serving the sentence at home.

In March, Moraes granted the former president permission to serve 90 days under house arrest on medical grounds after he was hospitalized with an acute form of pneumonia.

The new ruling is a relief for Bolsonaro and follows an incident in which a firearm owned by the former president was seized from a member of his security detail during a police checkpoint last month.

Earlier this week, Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet, in an opinion requested by Moraes, recommended keeping the former president under house arrest despite the firearm incident.

Moraes agreed, saying there was no proof of “serious misconduct” by Bolsonaro during the initial house-arrest period. REUTERS