The Supreme Court of Brazil ordered the house arrest of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2023) late on Monday, August 4, for failing to comply with the precautionary measures decreed for his alleged responsibility in financing a plot from the United States to hinder his case for a coup d'état.
“Given the repeated failure to comply with the previously imposed precautionary measures, I order the house arrest of Jair Messias Bolsonaro,” announced Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes, in charge of the case, in statements reported by the Brazilian news portal UOL.
The court order comes a day after figures close to Bolsonaro posted images of him on social media, in violation of Supreme Court-ordered measures, during a day of demonstrations in support of the former president.
Police raided Bolsonaro's home in Brasilia for his alleged involvement in financing a scheme in the United States to defend the imposition of tariffs and sanctions against U.S. officials, including Supreme Court justices whose visas have been revoked by Washington.
Investigators allege that Bolsonaro used up to two million reais to campaign through his son, Eduardo, in the United States since March in favor of these sanctions, at a time when President Donald Trump has shown unusual interest in his legal situation.
Meanwhile, a couple of weeks ago, the Prosecutor's Office requested in its closing arguments in the coup trial that Bolsonaro be found guilty, for which he could face prison sentences of up to 40 years, in addition to being indefinitely barred from holding public office.
Bolsonaro and seven others are part of the so-called "central core" of the coup plot with which he intended to stay in power after the October 2022 elections.
Those involved are accused of criminal association, attempting to violently abolish the rule of law, coup d'état, and damaging property during the protests that attempted to take over institutions on January 8, 2023.
Thousands of Jair Bolsonaro supporters took to the streets this Sunday, August 3, in several cities in Brazil, following the United States' announcement that it would impose tariffs on the country and sanctions against the judge in charge of the trial of the far-right former president.
Protests took place in São Paulo, Brasilia, and Rio de Janeiro, where demonstrators marched under the green and yellow colors of the national flag and held signs thanking U.S. President Donald Trump.
“He can’t speak, but we can speak for him,” said Congressman Marco Feliciano, addressing protesters gathered on Paulista Avenue, the iconic São Paulo artery where the main demonstration took place on Sunday.
