Allies fear revocation of domicile after PM seizes Bolsonaro's weapon

Allies of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) fear the revocation of the former president's house arrest after the Military Police of the Federal District seized, during a raid, a firearm registered in the name of the right-wing leader.

According to opposition parliamentarians interviewed by CNN, the assessment is that decisions by the STF (Supreme Federal Court) have been unfavorable to Bolsonaro, which increases apprehension within the group.

Privately, members of the former president's environment say that "anything can happen" in light of the new episode. They cite as an example decisions taken by the Supreme Court throughout the investigations and trial involving Bolsonaro. Allies have also reinforced criticism of the Court's actions, arguing that the country is experiencing a "State of exception" and that Minister Alexandre de Moraes acts as a "political agent".

Opposition deputies reinforced this perception this Wednesday. In a press conference in Congress, the leader of the opposition in the Chamber, Cabo Gilberto (PL-PB), alleged that Moraes "persecutes" Bolsonaro's family and has been active on several fronts in the Supreme Court. The deputy also cited the conviction of former deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) for coercion during the process that investigated an attempted coup d'état in Brazil.

"Unfortunately, the STF insists on persecuting him. Many innocent people were arrested, and Judge Moraes played all the roles: victim, accuser, processor", said the congressman.

The allies insist that, even after the weapon's seizure, "there is no reason" for the Court to change the decision on Bolsonaro's house arrest. The former president has been under temporary humanitarian house arrest at his home in Brasília since March. The measure was granted due to the politician's health problems. The 90-day period for the Supreme Court to reevaluate the measure ends on June 25th.

Defense clarifies weapon seizure
In a clarification sent to Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the STF, Jair Bolsonaro's defense admitted that the weapon seized in a blitz by the Federal District Police in fact belonged to the former president.

The lawyers, however, said that Bolsonaro had asked a security guard on his team to take the equipment for "maintenance", after the former president identified a "fault".

According to the defense, members of Bolsonaro's security team decided, without the former president's prior knowledge, to remove the firing pin from the weapon, an essential part for the shot. This is because the former president takes psychiatric medications that affect his cognition, which could cause an accident.

Bolsonaro's defense admits ownership of weapon seized in raid | CNN 360º

Source: CNN