Infirm Bolsonaro closer to house arrest

Jair Bolsonaro, serving a 27-year sentence for orchestrating a coup attempt after losing the 2022 election, is close to being placed under house arrest. The former president has been hospitalized in Brasília since March 13 with bacterial pneumonia and acute kidney injury — spending 10 days in the ICU before being moved to a regular room on Monday.

On Monday, the Federal Prosecution Office issued an opinion in favor of transferring Bolsonaro to house arrest on humanitarian grounds. The decision now rests with Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the case’s rapporteur — who requested the opinion in the first place.

This was the first time in six attempts that the Federal Prosecution Office agreed with the pleas made by Bolsonaro’s defense. Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet, who previously cited flight risks to oppose house arrest, now argues that Bolsonaro's health “demands constant and attentive care that the family environment — but not the prison system — is in a position to provide.”