Brazil’s Supreme Court Upholds Detention of Former President Jair Bolsonaro After He Admits Tampering with Ankle Monitor
Brasília, 25 November 2025 (BNN Web Staff)– Brazil’s Supreme Court has unanimously ruled to keep jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro in pre-trial detention, dealing a severe blow to the 70-year-old far-right leader who is already serving a 27-year sentence for attempting to overthrow democracy after his 2022 election defeat.
The decision, issued on Monday by a four-justice panel, came hours after Bolsonaro personally admitted to a judge that he deliberately tried to destroy the electronic ankle monitor he had been forced to wear since August while under house arrest.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has led multiple investigations against Bolsonaro, described the act as “serious misconduct” and clear evidence that the ex-president “poses a flight risk and continues to show contempt for judicial authority”. Moraes issued the arrest warrant on Saturday and ordered Bolsonaro’s immediate transfer from house arrest to a cell at Federal Police headquarters in the capital Brasília.
How Events Unfolded
- Saturday, 12:08 local time: Bolsonaro’s ankle monitor registered deliberate tampering.
- Saturday afternoon: Justice Moraes signed the arrest warrant.
- Sunday hearing: Bolsonaro told an auxiliary judge that a change in medication had caused “anxiety and confusion”, leading him to damage the device. His doctors and lawyers repeated the same claim.
- Monday: Justices Flávio Dino, Cristiano Zanin, and Cármen Lúcia joined Moraes in unanimously upholding the detention during an online session.
In his ruling, Moraes wrote: “Bolsonaro has admitted to gravely improper conduct by destroying the monitoring device, repeatedly violating precautionary measures and demonstrating clear disrespect toward the court.”
Background: A 27-Year Sentence and Multiple Probes
Bolsonaro was convicted earlier this year of orchestrating a failed coup attempt after losing the 2022 presidential election to leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He faces separate ongoing trials for:
- Inciting the January 8, 2023, storming of Congress and the presidential palace
- Falsifying COVID-19 vaccination records
- Alleged embezzlement of official gifts (including luxury jewellery from Saudi Arabia)
Streets Calm, Politics Heating Up
While thousands of supporters and opponents took to the streets in several cities over the weekend, Monday saw only a small, rain-soaked protest outside Federal Police headquarters in Brasília. Passing drivers honked horns — some in support of Bolsonaro, others in celebration of his arrest.
With Congress resuming sessions this week, political tension is set to spike. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the former president’s eldest son, vowed to press ahead with an amnesty bill for his father, though momentum has slowed in recent months.
“We will get this done in 2026,” Flávio declared, while acknowledging that some conservative allies now prefer São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas as the right-wing candidate for the next presidential election instead of a family member.
As Brazil’s polarized politics braces for another stormy week, Jair Bolsonaro begins what could be a lengthy stay behind bars — a dramatic fall for the once-powerful leader who still commands a passionate base but now faces the full weight of the country’s highest court.
