MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil’s top prosecutor opposes Bolsonaro house arrest

In the filing, Gonet said the unit known as “Papudinha” provides 24-hour medical care and has access to an advanced emergency service (Samu) unit that could be used if needed.

Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet filed an opinion on Friday with the Supreme Federal Court (STF) opposing a request for former President Jair Bolsonaro to serve his sentence under house arrest, arguing that the facility where he is held has adequate medical support.

In the filing, Gonet said the unit known as “Papudinha” provides 24-hour medical care and has access to an advanced emergency service (Samu) unit that could be used if needed.

Bolsonaro is being held at the 19th Military Police Battalion inside the Papuda Penitentiary Complex in Brasilia. The “Papudinha” wing is used for inmates with special status — such as police officers, lawyers and judges — and the former president is serving a 27-year, three-month sentence following his conviction in the criminal case linked to an alleged coup plot, according to the official account.

The prosecutor’s position comes as Bolsonaro’s lawyers renew attempts to move him to house arrest on health grounds. The final decision on the request will be taken by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees the case at the STF.

Court records cited by officials indicate Moraes denied a similar request in December. At the time, he said Bolsonaro could receive private medical care without judicial authorization and that an on-site medical team was available for emergencies.

The dispute is part of a broader set of STF rulings on Bolsonaro’s detention conditions. In January, Moraes ordered his transfer to the Papuda complex to provide better accommodations and improve access to medical assistance and family visits, according to Reuters.