BRASÍLIA — Brazil’s Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant Tuesday for former President Jair Bolsonaro, escalating the long-running probe into the so-called “slush fund” watch scandal and deepening a constitutional crisis that has paralyzed President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government for months.
The 6-5 ruling by the First Panel of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) orders Bolsonaro’s preventive detention pending trial on charges of money laundering, criminal association, and misappropriation of public funds connected to a scheme involving the purchase of luxury watches using undisclosed overseas accounts.
Justice Nancy Andrighi, writing for the majority, found that Bolsonaro had “systematically concealed the origin of high-value assets acquired during and after his presidency, including a $14,000 Patek Philippe watch received as an undeclared gift from a Saudi Arabian lobbying network.”
Federal Police are expected to execute the warrant within 72 hours, according to a court spokesperson who spoke on condition of anonymity because the operation is ongoing.
Bolsonaro, who governed Brazil from 2019 to 2022, has denied all charges and characterized the investigation as “political persecution” by the Lula administration. His legal team announced it would file an appeal with the full Supreme Court.
The arrest order marks the most dramatic escalation in a series of investigations that have already resulted in the freezing of Bolsonaro’s Brazilian assets, his ineligibility to hold public office until 2030, and a separate probe into the January 8, 2023 riots in Brasília that he is accused of inciting.
President Lula, speaking from the presidential palace in Brasília, called the ruling “a victory for Brazilian democracy” but declined to comment further, saying through a spokesperson that “the judiciary must be allowed to do its work without interference from the executive branch.”
The political fallout was immediate. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the former president’s eldest son and a leading figure in the conservative opposition, called the arrest order “a coup against the Brazilian people” and announced emergency protests in major cities.
Markets reacted sharply. The Brazilian real fell 2.3% against the US dollar in afternoon trading, while the Bovespa stock index dropped 1.8% before partially recovering. Analysts warned of prolonged volatility if the crisis deepens.
International reaction was mixed. The United States State Department issued a statement expressing “concern” about due process protections but stopped short of condemning the ruling. The European Union, by contrast, welcomed the decision as “a demonstration of the strength of Brazil’s independent judiciary.”
Bolsonaro’s arrest, if it proceeds, would make him the first former Brazilian president to be detained since the country’s return to democracy in 1985. It also raises profound questions about the future of the Brazilian right, which has coalesced around his leadership since his 2022 electoral defeat.
The investigation is far from over. Federal prosecutors are expected to file additional charges in the coming weeks, and separate inquiries into the Bolsonaro family’s alleged involvement in a scheme to channel undeclared campaign contributions through religious organizations are ongoing.
Reporting from Brasília was supplemented by wire service dispatches. Updates will be published as details emerge.
Written by Diego Vargas, Latin America Correspondent
Diego Vargas
Diego Vargas covers Latin American politics, economics, and regional affairs from Bogota.