Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s residence and headquarters have been raided by federal police, who have ordered him to wear an ankle monitor because he may have fled the country.
Bolsonaro, who ruled Latin America’s largest nation from 2019 to 2022, was reportedly a top priority for police in a statement released on Friday, saying they had executed search warrants ordered by the nation’s Supreme Court.
The prosecutor general of Brazil later confirmed the raid, citing Bolsonaro as saying there was a “concrete” possibility that Bolsonaro would leave the country as a result of his andnbsp, ongoing trial over alleged efforts to overturn President Luiz Inacio’s election victory in January 2023.
Bolsonaro was told to stop using social media, wear an ankle bracelet, and sever all contacts with foreign officials, according to the court. Additionally, it was against him to approach Brazilian consulates or embassies abroad.
Brazilian police have also been accused of working with his son Eduardo, a Brazilian lawmaker who has been lobbying for US President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Brazil, in a statement from the top court.
Trump earlier this month threatened to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods if Bolsonaro is denied legal reprieve, according to the claim.
The lawyers for Bolsonaro responded to the most recent actions by calling them “surprising and indignant” with “severe precautionary measures imposed on him.” Bolsonaro continued, noting that the court has so far followed orders.
Eduardo Bolsonaro alleged in a social media post that Trump retaliated against a video his father posted on Thursday, thanking him for his support.
The elder Bolsonaro denied that he was considering leaving the country in a statement to reporters on Friday.
He claimed that the end goal is “absolute humiliation.”
Trump’s tariff threats
Trump claimed in a Truth Social post last week that Brazilian authorities “have only done things after Bolsonaro,” day after day, night after night, month after month, and year after year!
Trump remarked, “He is not guilty of anything other than fighting for THE PEOPLE.”
In a 517-page document released late on Monday, Brazilian Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet demanded that Bolsonaro be found guilty of the crimes, which could have put the former leader in prison for decades.
The defendant systematically acted throughout his mandate and after losing in the election to incite insurrection and the destabilization of the democratic rule of law, Gonet claimed in the filing.
Following his first term in office, Trump himself was charged with four counts of inciting crime, one of which involved his efforts to overturn the result of his own election loss in 2020. Like Bolsonaro, he has repeatedly claimed to have been the victim of a political “witch hunt.”
Trump’s threat to impose massive reciprocal tariffs on dozens of trade partners comes as part of the US pressure campaign, which stands out for its particularly personal tone.
Bolsonaro and Trump have remained close to each other since the US president’s first term, which runs from 2017 to 2021, and are sometimes referred to as the “Trump of the Tropics.”
Lula claimed on Thursday that there was no logic to Trump’s tariff threat.
“We cannot let President Trump forget that he was elected to serve as the US’s president rather than as the world’s emperor,” Lula said.
Source: Aljazeera
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