Rio de Janeiro, Dec 25, (dpa/GNA) – A federal judge has granted former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro temporary leave from prison, to undergo surgery for a hernia.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Friday approved the medical leave, but rejected a request by Bolsonaro’s lawyers for house arrest on health grounds, local media reported, citing the ruling.
The judge pointed to repeated violations of court-imposed conditions and attempted escapes. On the night before his arrest, Bolsonaro damaged his electronic ankle monitor with a soldering iron.
Bolsonaro, 70, has been serving a prison sentence of more than 27 years since late November for attempting a coup. Prosecutors accuse him of plotting to overthrow the government of his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, after losing re-election. Bolsonaro was president from 2019 to 2022.
Bolsonaro suffers from lung infections, gastritis, skin cancer and persistent hiccups. He has undergone several surgeries in recent years due to complications stemming from a stabbing attack during the 2018 election campaign.
The upcoming operation for a bilateral inguinal hernia was classified as non-urgent but is to be carried out in the near future. Bolsonaro’s defence team is to propose a date for the procedure.
Doctors from the federal police had previously confirmed that the surgery requested by Bolsonaro’s physicians was medically necessary.
GNA