Brazil: former congressman Daniel Silveira transferred to Benfica prison in Rio

Former congressman Daniel Silveira (PTB-RJ) was transferred on Thursday (2) to Benfica prison in northern Rio de Janeiro, where he was expected to undergo a custody hearing this morning.

Silveira was arrested yesterday at his home in Petrópolis (RJ) by order of Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Federal Supreme Court (STF).

The measure comes one day after the former congressman lost his privileged forum due to the end of his term as congressman.

In the last elections, he was defeated in the race for a Senate seat.

In his decision, Moraes states that Silveira has failed to comply with the precautionary measures imposed by the Court.

“The defendant’s conduct, which insists on disrespecting the precautionary measures imposed in these proceedings and endorsed by the Plenary of the Federal Supreme Court, reveals his complete contempt for the Judiciary, behavior verified on several occasions during the course of this criminal activity and which justified the establishment of a daily fine to ensure due compliance with the decisions of this Court,” says an excerpt from the decision.

Silveira was also involved in the accusation by Senator Marcos do Val (Podemos-ES)  that former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) tried to coerce him into participating in a coup attempt.

Do Val claimed that Silveira participated, together with Bolsonaro, in the alleged coup action.

For the senator, Silveira provoked the whole situation, further stating that the former deputy should remain in prison.

In April 2022, Silveira was sentenced by the STF as part of the anti-democratic acts investigation to 8 years and 9 months in prison.

However, the sentence was pardoned by former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

Still, the former congressman needs to comply with precautionary measures, such as the use of an electronic ankle bracelet and a ban on the use of social networks.

Moraes had already fined the former congressman for failure to comply with the precautionary measures.

With information from Gazeta do Povo