The judge Alexandre de Moraes this Saturday rejected a request presented by the lawyers of Jair Bolsonaro to allow the visit of Javier Milei at the home where the former Brazilian president is serving time in prison. The refusal adds to the legal restrictions in force after the sentence imposed on Bolsonaro for his role in leading a coup plot.
Bolsonaro’s defense had requested special authorization so that the Argentine president could meet with the former president, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence under house arrest. However, the Supreme Court of Brazil decided not to grant the petition.
This Friday, the court had imposed new restrictions on the regime of Bolsonaro’s house arrestincluding the prohibition of receiving social, electoral or political visits until the end of the legislative, regional and presidential elections scheduled for October.
The Supreme Court of Brazil, under the direction of Justice Alexandre de Moraes, toughened the conditions for the former Brazilian president, who is serving a sentence in his residence in Brasilia for attempted coup d’état. According to the resolution signed this Friday, only medical professionals, physiotherapists and lawyers can enter Bolsonaro’s home during the next thirty days. Any visit for political purposes, such as the one Milei planned, is prohibited until the conclusion of the electoral process.
The reason for the measure was Bolsonaro’s failure to comply with a precautionary measure, by disseminating a letter of support for the pre-candidacy of his son Flávio Bolsonaro, which violated the prohibition of external contact for electoral purposes. The judicial authorities considered that the infraction did not justify Bolsonaro’s immediate return to closed prison, but did justify the need to reinforce isolation to avoid any interference in the political contest.
Milei had confirmed days ago that he will travel to Brazil on July 25 to attend the event in which Flávio Bolsonaro would be proclaimed presidential candidate and said that he would make time to personally greet Jair Bolsonaro. This scale, presented as a diplomatic challenge for Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, generated tensions in the regional political scene.
“On the 25th I traveled to Brazil, where they anointed Flavio Bolsonaro as candidate, and I will be in São Paulo. Then I’m going to stop by Brasilia to see Jair Bolsonaro“Milei expressed days ago in statements to radio
The ban covers any type of meeting for electoral or political purposes, extending until the end of the legislative, regional and presidential elections scheduled for October.
Milei will have to settle for attending the event in Saint Paul and continue with the rest of his international tour without the visit to Bolsonaro. The Argentine president had linked his trip to Brazil with the search for investments and the deepening of foreign policy, but the impossibility of seeing the former Brazilian president forces him to modify the planned roadmap.
The judicial restrictions that Bolsonaro faces not only affect the personal and family level — his son Flávio has suspended visits during ninety days— but also have an impact on their international political relations. Bolsonaro’s legal team described the situation as “incommunicability” and anticipated judicial presentations to reverse the measure, although at the moment there is no room for an exception that would allow Milei’s visit.
The reasons for the court decision
The Brazilian judicial decision responds to concerns about avoiding any type of external interference or political message from Bolsonaro during the electoral process. De Moraes considered the defense arguments insufficient, which alleged ignorance about the dissemination of the letter of support for Flávio Bolsonaro.
For Milei, the international tour was part of a strategy of economic and diplomatic opening, which included visits to Peru, Colombia and Ecuador in addition to Brazil. The Argentine president had defended the usefulness of his trips to attract investments and strengthen ties with like-minded leaders, but the Brazilian judicial situation sets a limit on his political agenda plans.
Source: Infobae
