Roberto Jefferson claims that anklet is ‘squeezing the foot’ and Moraes allows exchange

The defense of former federal deputy Roberto Jefferson, former PTB leader, asked the Rio de Janeiro Penitentiary team to go to his house to exchange an electronic anklet that was “squeezing his foot”. In response, Minister Alexandre de Moraes of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) allowed, on July 2, that Jefferson left the house arrest and went to the headquarters of the Secretariat of State for Penitentiary Administration to exchange the device.

“The equipment is squeezing the foot of Mr. Roberto Jefferson Monteiro Francisco, which can lead to unsatiable damage in his health condition, which is already extremely weakened,” said the defense. In fact, the former deputy spent two years hospitalized and in custody, while cases against him ran.

In 2022, Jefferson was arrested under the digital militias investigation. At the time, the former deputy resisted the operation of the Federal Police throwing grenades in the agents and making rifle shots. Jefferson was part of then -President Jair Bolsonaro’s “shock troop”, which competed for reelection.

In jail, the politician’s health was weakened. In June 2023, he was admitted to a private hospital in Rio de Janeiro. There, he continued to be pre -tried until he was discharged. House arrest was only granted in May this year “for humanitarian reasons”, according to Moraes.

Jefferson was convicted of the Supreme Court in December 2024. The politician, who held six terms as deputy, is serving the penalty of nine years, a month and five days in prison for crimes of slander, homophobia, incitement to crime and violent abolition of the democratic rule of law.

According to Moraes, rapporteur of the case, Roberto Jefferson used PTB resources to share false publications that aimed to undermine the “independence of the legislature and judiciary and the maintenance of the Democratic Rule of Law”.