Brazil Supreme Court Freezes Eduardo Bolsonaro’s Assets, Threatens Jail for Former President Jair Bolsonaro

Brazil’s top court just turned up the heat on the Bolsonaro family — again.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has ordered the freezing of bank accounts and assets belonging to Eduardo Bolsonaro, a federal lawmaker and the third son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The move comes as part of a broader investigation that now has Jair himself staring down possible jail time for allegedly violating a court order that banned him from social media.

Eduardo, who’s been spending time in Washington rallying support for his father, didn’t hold back. In a fiery post on X (formerly Twitter), he called the asset freeze “another arbitrary and criminal decision” by Justice Moraes, comparing him to a dictator and vowing not to be silenced.

“If he thinks this will make me stop, I make it clear: I will not be intimidated,” Eduardo wrote. “This confirms everything I’ve been denouncing in Washington.”

The confidential court order targeting Eduardo was first reported by CNN Brasil over the weekend. It’s linked to a probe into his alleged political activities in the United States — though details are scarce.

Meanwhile, Jair Bolsonaro may be in hot water over his own defiance of a court order. Moraes warned on Monday that any attempt to dodge his ban on social media use — including indirect communication through interviews — could land the former president in jail.

Brazilian outlet G1 says Moraes has summoned Bolsonaro’s legal team to explain whether he’s been playing fast and loose with the rules. They have 24 hours to respond. If the explanation falls short, Bolsonaro could be arrested.

Bolsonaro hasn’t been quiet about the whole situation. On Friday, he slammed the restrictions as “cowardice” and said he’d continue speaking to the media, regardless of what the court says.

Legal experts say that’s risky. Vera Chemim, a constitutional lawyer in São Paulo, told Reuters that even media interviews could be interpreted as violating the spirit of the court’s order.

“Bolsonaro is now completely silenced,” Chemim said. “Any misstep could lead to a preventive arrest.”

The political storm isn’t limited to Brazil’s borders. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently accused Brazil’s Supreme Court of waging a “political witch-hunt” against Bolsonaro and announced travel visa bans on Moraes and his fellow justices — and even their families.

That didn’t sit well with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who blasted the US response as “arbitrary” and “unacceptable foreign interference.”

Adding to the pressure, US President Donald Trump earlier this month threatened to slap a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports unless Lula backs off from prosecuting Bolsonaro — another sign that the Bolsonaro saga is now very much a global political drama.

With input from Al Jazeera