On 18/7, Brazilian federal police raided the home of former president Jair Bolsonaro and mandated that he wear an ankle monitor, as per a Supreme Court judge's order. The order also prohibits Bolsonaro from contacting foreign officials, using social media, or accessing embassies.
Bolsonaro is also barred from communicating with key allies, including his son, congressman Eduardo, who had been lobbying the US to assist his father in the case where the former president is accused of plotting a coup.
The raid and restrictions were ordered by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, citing a "clear possibility" that Bolsonaro would flee the country.
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Federal police vehicles outside Bolsonaro's Brasilia home on 18/7. Photo: Reuters |
Federal police vehicles outside Bolsonaro's Brasilia home on 18/7. Photo: Reuters
Justice Moraes added that the former president had asked a "foreign head of state" to interfere with Brazil's court system, an act he deemed an attack on national sovereignty.
Bolsonaro and his son "acted illegally to subject the Supreme Court's actions to scrutiny by another nation, through hostile acts stemming from illicit and illegal negotiations to obstruct justice and pressure the court," according to Moraes.
Former president Bolsonaro later stated he never intended to leave Brazil and accused the court of attempting to "humiliate" him. A five-judge panel of the Supreme Court is expected to review Moraes's order to decide whether to overturn it.
Bolsonaro, who served as Brazil's president from 2019 to 2022, is being tried by the Supreme Court on charges of plotting a coup to prevent current leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office in 2023. He denies the allegations, calling them political persecution.
President Donald Trump has been pressuring Brazil in recent weeks to halt legal action against former president Bolsonaro, claiming his former ally is a victim of a "witch hunt." In a letter announcing his decision to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods last week, Trump began by criticizing Bolsonaro's trial.
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Bolsonaro speaking to reporters in Brasilia on 17/7. Photo: AFP |
Bolsonaro speaking to reporters in Brasilia on 17/7. Photo: AFP
On 17/7, President Trump shared a letter addressed to the former Brazilian leader on Truth Social, stating that Bolsonaro was being mistreated by "an unjust system" and calling for an immediate end to the trial.
In the warrant to search Bolsonaro's home, Justice Moraes stated that President Trump threatened to impose high tariffs to create a severe economic crisis in Brazil, as well as interfere with the country's judicial system.
Reuters suggests that the court's latest move reinforces the view that Trump's tactics are backfiring, causing further trouble for Bolsonaro and helping the current Brazilian government gain more support.
Pham Giang (Reuters)
