Brazil's Supreme Court allows Bolsonaro to leave prison for surgery on Christmas

Brazil's Supreme Court on Tuesday granted a request by ex-president Jair Bolsonaro to leave prison to undergo surgery on December 25, court documents showed.

Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year sentence after being convicted of plotting a coup to remain in power following his 2022 re-election loss.

His request was for transfer to a hospital on Wednesday, then surgery on Christmas Day, Thursday.

The approval by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw Bolsonaro's trial, comes after an expert review last week stated that the operation was medically necessary.

The far-right leader has faced repeated health issues since being stabbed in the stomach during the 2018 presidential campaign.

His latest problem is an inguinal hernia, a protrusion in the groin area due to a tear in the abdominal muscles.

The operation is scheduled to be completed at the DF Star, a private clinic in Brazil's capital where Bolsonaro underwent another surgery in April.

Read moreBrazil's Bolsonaro ordered to start serving 27-year prison sentence for coup plot

The ex-president has been detained since November at federal police headquarters in Brasilia.

In office from 2019 to 2022, he was sentenced by the Supreme Court in September to prison after being found guilty of having led a scheme to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office.

He has maintained his innocence, declaring he was a victim of political persecution.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)