São Paulo, Brazil – Fernando Collor de Mello, Brazil’s former president and a central figure in one of the country’s most turbulent political chapters, was granted house arrest on Thursday—just six days after beginning to serve his prison sentence in the Baldomero Cavalcanti Penitentiary in Maceió.
The decision, issued by Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Supreme Federal Court, allows Collor, 75, to serve his sentence of eight years and 10 months from his luxurious 600-square-meter duplex penthouse apartment, located on the seafront in Maceió.
The property, valued at R$ 9 million (approximately USD $1.5 million), features ocean views and even a private swimming pool.
Collor is being monitored by an electronic ankle bracelet. His passport has been suspended, and he is only allowed visits from his lawyers.
His lawyers had petitioned for leniency on health grounds, citing serious medical conditions including Parkinson’s disease, bipolar disorder, and severe insomnia.
Under the terms of his house arrest, Collor is required to wear an electronic ankle monitor. His passport has been revoked, and he is permitted visits only from his family and legal representatives.
Fernando Collor de Mello, who served as president from 1990 to 1992 before resigning amid a corruption scandal, was convicted on May 31, 2023, for his role in a more recent graft scheme uncovered by Operation Car Wash, the wide-ranging anti-corruption probe that upended Brazilian politics throughout the 2010s.
According to the charges that led to his conviction by Brazil’s Supreme Court, between 2010 and 2014, while serving as a senator, Collor received approximately R$ 20 million (about $3.5 million today) in bribes, according to the Supreme Court ruling.
The payments were allegedly made to secure contracts between BR Distribuidora—a former subsidiary of the state oil giant Petrobras—and UTC Engenharia, a construction firm hired to build fuel distribution infrastructure.
Featured image: Fernando Collor de Mello at a Senate session in 2016 (photo credit: Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom via Agência Brasil)
