Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), ordered this Friday afternoon (26) the preventive detention of Silvinei Vasques, former director of the Federal Highway Police (PRF) during the government of Jair Bolsonaro. 
The former director was under house arrest, wearing an electronic ankle braceletand the measure was determined after Silvinei broke the equipment and fled to Paraguay, where he was detained by local authorities when he tried to board a flight to El Salvador.
Moraes pointed out in the decision that he was informed by the Federal Police that the ankle bracelet stopped emitting a GPS signal at around 3 am on Thursday (25). Agents then went to the former director’s house, located in São José, Santa Catarina, and found that he was not at home.
This morning, the Federal Police confirmed that Silvinei was arrested in Paraguay and should be sent back to Brazil.
In the minister’s opinion, Silvinei’s arrest should be ordered due to his escape.
“The defendant’s escape, characterized by the violation of the precautionary measures imposed without any justification, authorizes the conversion of the precautionary measures into preventive detention”, decided the minister.
Coup plot
The former director was sentenced to 24 years and 6 months in prison in the criminal action of Core 2 of the coup plot, which sought to keep former president Jair Bolsonaro in power.
According to the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) and the PF, Vasques ordered blitzes to be carried out in locations where Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s ticket had more voting intentions, with the aim of making it difficult for voters to access the ballot box.
The former director of the PRF was preventively arrested in August 2023 and spent a year in detention until Minister Alexandre de Moraes granted him temporary freedom upon compliance with a series of precautionary measures, such as the use of an electronic ankle bracelet and the cancellation of his passport.
