Brazil’s jailed former President Jair Bolsonaro is to be placed under house arrest for 90 days due to his poor health.

Judge Alexandre de Moraes accepted an assessment by the attorney general’s office recommending that his detention conditions be eased, several Brazilian media outlets reported on Tuesday.

The measure is initially temporary and is intended to allow Mr Bolsonaro to recover from bronchopneumonia, a form of pneumonia.

The decision also marks a turning point in the case, as similar requests from the defence had previously been repeatedly denied.

The former president has been in a hospital in the capital, Brasília, since mid-March due to pneumonia and is being treated in the intensive care unit.

According to doctors, he has recently shown “favourable development” and is expected to be transferred out of the intensive care unit within the next 24 hours.

His medical team said that a discharge is on the cards, provided his condition continues to improve steadily.

The period of house arrest begins upon discharge from the hospital.

Once the 90 days have elapsed, the judge intends to review whether the conditions for house arrest still apply.

Mr Bolsonaro, 71, is serving a prison sentence of more than 27 years for an attempted coup and was most recently detained at the Papuda prison complex in Brasília.

The former head of state has been struggling with health problems for years.

Some are linked to the serious injuries he suffered in a knife attack during his election campaign in 2018.

(dpa/NAN)