Brazil ex-leader Bolsonaro admits he tried to damage ankle monitor

A video released by Brazil’s Supreme Court shows Bolsonaro demonstrating how he used a soldering iron on the electronic bracelet.

Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro admitted that he tried to tamper with his court-mandated ankle monitor, telling authorities he damaged the device out of “curiosity.”

Jair Bolsonaro, who governed the country from 2019 to 2022, has been under house arrest since August and is confined to a luxury condominium in Brasília.(Reuters)

His statement comes as he remains detained over concerns he was preparing to flee house arrest while appealing his conviction for attempting to overturn the 2022 election results.

A video released by Brazil’s Supreme Court shows Bolsonaro demonstrating how he used a soldering iron on the electronic bracelet. The footage displays the monitor badly burned and visibly damaged, though still attached to his ankle.

Bolsonaro, who governed the country from 2019 to 2022, has been under house arrest since August and is confined to a luxury condominium in Brasília. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison for his role in a failed plot to prevent leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes noted in his ruling that Bolsonaro’s actions coincided with a planned vigil outside the condominium organised by his eldest son, Flavio Bolsonaro. The judge warned that the gathering risked generating turmoil that could “create an environment conducive to his escape.” Flavio had called on supporters to “fight for your country.”

Moraes said the attempted disabling of the ankle monitor occurred early Saturday and appeared to be part of a broader plan to “ensure the success of his escape, facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.” The judge has given Bolsonaro’s legal team 24 hours to explain what happened.

Flavio Bolsonaro, speaking in a live broadcast, criticised the court’s actions and said any harm that might come to his father would be Moraes’ responsibility. Speaking to reporters before the vigil, Flavio suggested the former president may have damaged the device either as an “act of desperation” or out of “shame” at having to wear it in front of visiting family members.

In his ruling, Moraes also pointed to the close proximity of Bolsonaro’s residence to the US Embassy, raising concerns that he could attempt to seek political asylum. Bolsonaro, a former army captain, maintains strong ties with former US president Donald Trump, who has labelled the case a “witch hunt” and has imposed tariffs and sanctions on Brazil in response to the conviction.

(With AFP inputs)