A Supreme Court judge in Brazil has ordered Jair Bolsonaro’s legal team to explain within 24 hours why the former president, currently under house arrest, possessed a firearm that was confiscated during a police check.
Bolsonaro, who was president from 2019 to 2022, is serving a 27-year prison sentence for an attempted coup and has been under house arrest in Brasília since March to recover from pneumonia.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes demanded an explanation from Bolsonaro’s lawyers concerning why the convicted former president kept a firearm at his residence and sought to have it repaired on the eve of his 90-day house arrest coming to an end, as outlined in a court ruling.
The weapon in question, a 9mm Glock handgun registered in Bolsonaro’s name, was seized during a routine traffic stop in Brasília on Monday, the court document revealed.
A man identified as a member of Bolsonaro’s security team was found in possession of the firearm. Initially, he told police that the gun was registered in his name as a public official, but later it was confirmed to belong to the former president.
The man who had the weapon claimed it was handed to him due to a mechanical defect and stated he intended to have it repaired that day and return it to Bolsonaro the following day, according to the judge’s ruling.
The court also ordered an investigation into whether the vehicle checks at Bolsonaro’s residence were properly conducted under the existing judicial order.
