Justice Alexandre de Moraes of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) authorized former president Jair Bolsonaro to receive dental treatment, but barred the ex‑president’s preferred provider, Fernanda Bolsonaro, from carrying out the procedure. Fernanda is the wife of Flávio Bolsonaro, one of the former president’s sons and a federal congressman.
According to Moraes’s ruling, Bolsonaro must be escorted to the Military Police Medical Center in the Federal District for the appointment. The date and time of the visit are to be kept confidential and set by the Military Police’s custody unit in coordination with Bolsonaro’s defense team.
The decision notes that the recommendation for treatment at the military facility came from the custody nucleus of the 19th Military Police Battalion, which oversees compliance with Bolsonaro’s house‑arrest order. The magistrate emphasized that the request was made on security grounds, explaining that the defense had sought to have Fernanda Bolsonaro perform the work in her private clinic in Brasília, but the court deemed that arrangement unsuitable.
Moraes also pointed out that the defense’s request, filed on August 14 for an appointment a week later on August 21, did not present an urgent medical need. Consequently, the court scheduled the visit for a later date while maintaining the security protocol.
Bolsonaro, who served as president from 2019 to 2022, has been under house arrest since early 2024 as part of ongoing investigations into allegations of election fraud and misuse of public funds. The restrictions limit his movements but allow certain medical appointments under supervision.
The ruling highlights the tension between providing necessary healthcare to a high‑profile figure under judicial supervision and ensuring that security protocols are not compromised. By directing the procedure to a government‑run medical center, the court sought to balance Bolsonaro’s right to treatment with the need to monitor his movements.
O Globo, the outlet that first reported the story, did not specify whether the dental work would be performed by a military‑appointed dentist or another professional at the clinic. The secrecy surrounding the timing is intended to prevent potential security risks associated with publicizing the movements of a former president facing criminal investigations.