Police to question Bolsonaro after pistol registered in his name seized
A Federal Supreme Court judge has authorised police to question former president Jair Bolsonaro after a pistol registered in his name was seized from a member of his security team.
Police to question Bolsonaro after pistol registered in his name seized
A Federal Supreme Court judge has authorised police to question former president Jair Bolsonaro after a pistol registered in his name was seized from a member of his security team. The information was released by RTE.
The weapon, a nine-millimetre Glock pistol with a magazine, was found by police officers during a vehicle stop in the capital Brasília on Monday.
The decision by minister Alexandre de Moraes determined that Bolsonaro should be questioned at his residence on Tuesday.
The 71-year-old former president is serving a 27-year prison sentence for conspiring in a coup attempt after seeking to remain in power following his loss in the 2022 elections to president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
He has been under house arrest since March to recover from pneumonia, although the terms of his detention are to be reviewed next week.
The man found with the pistol registered in Bolsonaro's name stated he was part of the former leader's security team and said he was transporting the equipment for repairs.
A document submitted to the court stated that Bolsonaro's security team had removed the firing pin from the weapon — rendering it inoperative — without informing the former president, due to "psychiatric medications administered to the applicant, capable of affecting his cognition".
Bolsonaro's lawyers said the pistol was legally registered in his name and stored at his residence, but denied that the incident was related to the imminent deadline for review of his house arrest.
Bolsonaro had previously been under house arrest last year, but was returned to prison in November after melting his electronic ankle bracelet with a soldering iron, which the court interpreted as an attempted escape.
At the time, his lawyers alleged that the incident occurred due to mental confusion caused by medications he was taking.
Source: RTÉ News