Stronger police presence is called for to monitor the former president, who is under house arrest awaiting trial.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has requested the police to tighten security around former President Jair Bolsonaro’s home while he is under house arrest.

Moraes on Monday sent a notice to police calling for full-time monitoring near Bolsonaro’s house to ensure he is complying with the restraining orders against him.

Earlier this month, the embattled former president was placed under house arrest after Moraes determined that he had violated precautionary measures imposed by the court restricting his social media use and political messaging.

Police said last week that they had found a draft letter on Bolsonaro’s phone of a request for asylum in Argentina. It was last edited in 2024, police said.

Bolsonaro’s legal defence said the document was not evidence that the former president was a flight risk.

Bolsonaro’s trial is expected to start on September 2. The former president faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted of plotting to overthrow his democratically elected successor as president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in 2022.

His case has been a flashpoint for the administration of United States President Donald Trump, who insists it is a witch-hunt against his former ally.

Last month, Trump imposed 50 percent tariffs on Brazil, directly tying the levy to the trial of his fellow right-wing politician, Bolsonaro. That was followed by sanctions against Moraes, with the Trump administration accusing the judge of “arbitrary detentions that violate human rights”.