The Federal Court in Belo Horizonte ordered the suspension of the lifetime benefits and rights that former president Jair Bolsonaro receives for holding the Presidency of the Republic, while he serves his sentence in a closed regime.
According to the action, Bolsonaro also has four employees for security and support, two official vehicles with drivers and two advisors, as well as expenses for tickets, daily allowances, fuel and maintenance. The preliminary decision ordered the Union to block the provision of these services within 48 hours.
In the first half of 2025 alone, these expenses totaled R$521,073.00 and since 2023, the amount has exceeded R$4 million. According to a survey using data from the Civil House’s Open Data Portal, the former president’s cost was R$994,592.11 until November this year.
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The injunction is provisional in nature and can be reviewed by higher courts. When contacted, Jair Bolsonaro’s defense has not yet expressed itself or said whether it intends to appeal. The space remains open.
The measure responds to a popular action proposed by Belo Horizonte councilor, Pedro Rousseff (PT). The author maintains that, although Bolsonaro is serving his sentence in a closed regime, the Union continues to maintain the structure funded with public resources provided for by a standard that guarantees security and support for former presidents.
The councilor told the reporter he was very happy with the Federal Court’s decision. “Our argument was very clear: anyone who is imprisoned, especially for a coup d’état, cannot continue receiving benefits from the State. It is illegal and immoral”, he stated.
Law of former presidents
According to the decree of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) of 2008, any person who has held the position of President of the Republic is entitled to four employees for security and personal support activities, two personal advisors, two vehicles and two drivers.
However, in the decision, the judge states that the design of the law that grants these benefits presupposes the former president “in civil life, exposed to risks specific to his past condition and involved in public, political or institutional activities”, which is not the case in the case of someone in a closed regime. For the magistrate, Bolsonaro’s security, while in prison, must be guaranteed by the prison system and the rules of criminal execution, not by a parallel structure linked to the Institutional Security Office (GSI).
