Lawyers representing former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have submitted a request to Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, seeking permission for Bolsonaro to serve his sentence for involvement in a coup plot under house arrest. The request, as reported by Reuters on Friday, emphasizes Bolsonaro’s ongoing health problems, particularly related to intestinal issues resulting from a 2018 stabbing incident during his campaign, which led to multiple surgeries, including a lengthy procedure in April. The document presented to the court stressed the potential risks to Bolsonaro’s physical well-being in a prison setting, advocating for house arrest on compassionate grounds.

Bolsonaro was sentenced in September to 27 years and three months in prison for his role in a coup plot to retain power despite losing the 2022 election to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. This recent legal battle comes after Bolsonaro was previously placed under house arrest for breaching precautionary measures in a separate case, where he was accused of seeking United States intervention to obstruct criminal investigations against him.