Brazil’s Federal Police (PF) raided conservative former President Jair Bolsonaro’s home in Brasília on Friday morning by order of Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who mandated that Bolsonaro wear an electronic ankle monitor.
The raid is part of a series of “precautionary measures” imposed on Bolsonaro by de Moraes, a self-styled “anti-fake news crusader” and the rapporteur of the ongoing “coup” trial against the former president. De Moraes also prohibited Bolsonaro from using social media and forbade him from communicating with his son, lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, who requested political asylum in the United States this year. The headquarters of Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party (PL) were also targeted by the police.
De Moraes reportedly justified the police raid by accusing the former president of engaging in “extortion” against the Brazilian judiciary with the purported aim of obtaining “amnesty” in exchange for rescinding the U.S. tariffs on Brazil. President Donald Trump announced this month the imposition of a 50-percent tariff on Brazilian goods entering the United States. Trump cited the “witch hunt” against Bolsonaro as one of the reasons for the tariff, leading to outrage from radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the STF.
De Moraes imposed a daily curfew on Bolsonaro mandating he stay in his home from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and the entirety of the weekend. In addition to prohibiting communications with his son Eduardo, the STF justice forbade Bolsonaro from communicating with foreign diplomats, other defendants and individuals subject to STF investigations, and banned him from being anywhere near a foreign embassy in Brazil.
Police officers reportedly seized close to $14,000 from Bolsonaro’s home before taking the former President away to place the electronic ankle monitor on him. A video published by the Brazilian outlet Metrópoles shows the moment police vehicles left Bolsonaro’s residence, with a group of Brazilians chanting “Courage, president!”
Bolsonaro’s legal defense team shared a brief note with local outlets expressing outrage over the new measures against the former president, which read, “The defense team for former President Jair Bolsonaro was surprised and outraged by the imposition of severe precautionary measures against him, who, to date, has always complied with all orders issued by the Judiciary.
“The defense team will issue a statement in due course, after reviewing the court’s decision.”
Bolsonaro stands accused by Brazil’s Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF) of allegedly conspiring with over 30 other individuals to poison Lula, stage a “coup,” and overturn the results of the 2022 election. Bolsonaro has denied the accusations and maintained that he is innocent. He remains effectively trapped in Brazil since February 2024, when de Moraes ordered the Brazilian Federal Police to seize his passport.
Federal Police investigators cited by the outlet G1 explained that the ankle bracelet and other measures against Bolsonaro are equivalent to that of a “semi-open” house arrest regime aimed at preventing a possible flight attempt.
Bolsonaro stated during an interview with the outlet Poder 360 this week that he has no intention of leaving Brazil and ruled out the possibility of seeking political asylum in the United States like his son did in March.
Bolsonaro reiterated that he has no intention of leaving Brazil or going to any embassy in brief remarks to reporters after the police placed the ankle monitor on him. The former president said that he feels “humiliated” and attributed the new measures to political reasons.
De Moraes’ new measures against Bolsonaro come days after Prosecutor General of Brazil Paulo Gonet called for Bolsonaro’s conviction in the ongoing “coup” trial against him. Bolsonaro, aged 70, could now face up to 43 years in prison if found guilty of all charges. At press time, Bolsonaro’s legal team has roughly two weeks to present their closing arguments to the court.
The police raid took place hours after President Trump published on his website Truth Social a copy of a letter addressed to Bolsonaro in which Trump expresses his support to Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro’s last post on his Twitter/X and Instagram accounts before the social media ban is a video responding to Trump and expressing gratitude for his support.
The Friday morning police raid on Bolsonaro’s home marks the latest on a lengthy list of actions against Bolsonaro signed by de Moraes, who in the past has ordered similar raids against him, members of his family, and conservative figures supportive of the former president. According to Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo, the prohibition from communicating with individuals investigated by the STF also prevents Bolsonaro from speaking with another of his sons, Carlos Bolsonaro, who is also under STF investigation. Eduardo Bolsonaro requested political asylum in the United States in March on the grounds that he is the target of a persecution campaign led by de Moraes.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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