RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian federal police conducted a search of former President Jair Bolsonaro’s residence on Wednesday, looking for weapons and ammunition, but walked away without seizing anything, according to his attorney.
Bolsonaro is currently confined to house arrest in the nation’s capital, Brasilia, where he is serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup following his loss to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2022 presidential election.
His attorney, João Henrique Nascimento de Freitas, posted on X that he had personally witnessed the police search. “I just left the residence of (Bolsonaro) after witnessing yet another search and seizure by the federal police,” he wrote. “Nothing was found.”
A federal police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, confirmed that no items were taken during the search.
The Brazilian Supreme Court authorized the search after a mismatch was identified between the number of firearms legally registered under Bolsonaro’s name and the number of weapons actually surrendered to the appropriate authorities. The order was signed by Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Tuesday.
The search comes just weeks after police discovered one of Bolsonaro’s registered firearms in the hands of a military officer at a checkpoint. Despite that incident, Justice De Moraes allowed Bolsonaro to remain under house arrest rather than return to a detention facility.
Bolsonaro was convicted by a panel of Supreme Court justices in September and began his sentence in November. He was moved to house arrest in March after concerns arose about his health.
The case attracted significant international attention when U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods, citing — among other reasons — what he called a “witch hunt” against his political ally Bolsonaro.
Adding to the legal troubles surrounding the family, Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo was also convicted this year for illegally lobbying the U.S. government in an effort to pressure Brazilian officials into halting his father’s trial.
While many of the tariffs Trump imposed were later removed, the U.S. administration has since threatened additional trade penalties over what it describes as unfair commercial practices — even as the United States maintains a significant trade surplus with Brazil.
