Former Brazilian president Bolsonaro handed 27-year prison term in coup attempt case
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Brasilia: Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison after a Supreme Federal Court panel found him guilty of attempting to stage a coup.
Four out of five justices on the panel voted to convict Bolsonaro, with Justices Carmen Lucia and Cristiano Zanin delivering their verdicts on Thursday, Xinhua reported.
The 70-year-old was convicted on five charges: plotting a coup d’état, attempted violent abolition of democratic rule, participation in an armed criminal organization, aggravated damage, and destruction of protected heritage sites.
The case was opened on September 2, with a simple majority of the five-member panel required for conviction. Earlier in the week, Justices Alexandre de Moraes and Flavio Dino also ruled against him, while Justice Luiz Fux cast the lone vote for acquittal.
Bolsonaro, currently under house arrest, can still appeal the ruling before the full 11-member Supreme Federal Court. He did not attend the final stage of the trial.
He has previously claimed the proceedings were politically motivated to block him from contesting the 2026 presidential election, though he had already been disqualified from holding public office in a separate case. He has repeatedly described the charges as a “witch hunt”.
His stance has drawn support from US president Donald Trump, who imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Brazilian goods in what he described as retaliation for Bolsonaro’s prosecution. Following Thursday’s verdict, Trump said he found the ruling “very surprising”, adding: “That's very much like they tried to do with me. But they didn't get away with it at all.”