SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Sunday he had medicine-induced “paranoia” that led him to violate his electronic ankle monitor, a document seen by Reuters showed, one day after the federal police took him into custody as a potential flight risk.
On Saturday, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the detention of the right-wing former leader ahead of a planned supporters’ vigil outside his home, which the judge said could undermine police monitoring of his house arrest. He also noted a police report that Bolsonaro’s ankle monitor was violated.
In a custody hearing following his detention, Bolsonaro denied any intent to escape house arrest or of trying to remove the equipment, the document showed, as he said he had a “hallucination” that there was a wire inside the monitor.
The judge overseeing the hearing decided to maintain the police custody as all legal rules were followed during the former president’s arrest.
(Reporting by Luciana Magalhaes; Writing by Fernando Cardoso; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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