The Supreme Court of Brazil found 70-year-old former President Jair Bolsonaro guilty of conspiring to retain power after losing the 2022 election to Luiz Lula da Silva. This was reported by UNN with reference to G1, CNN, BBC.
Details
It is noted that four out of five judges of the Brazilian Supreme Court panel supported Bolsonaro's conviction and sentenced him to 27 years and three months in prison.
Bolsonaro was found guilty on all five counts:
- attempted coup,
- leading an armed criminal organization,
- attempted violent overthrow of the democratic legal order,
- two charges related to damage to state property during the assault.
The politician denies the accusations and calls the process a "witch hunt" organized for political motives. His lawyers plan to file appeals.
According to the BBC, Bolsonaro did not participate in the hearings due to health problems. He survived a knife attack in 2018 and still suffers from its consequences. Since early August, he has been under house arrest after police statements about an attempt by him and his son Eduardo to interfere with the judicial process.
Prosecutors claim that Bolsonaro's conspiracy began long before the events in Brasília: he tried to persuade the military leadership to support a coup and spread unfounded doubts about the electoral system. Also, according to the prosecution, he knew about the plan to assassinate Lula, his campaign partner, and a Supreme Court judge.
According to Judge Carmen Lúcia, it was Bolsonaro who provoked the events of January 8, 2023, when thousands of his supporters stormed and damaged the buildings of the Supreme Court, the presidential palace, and Congress in the country's capital.
Recall
In July 2025, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was ordered to wear an electronic bracelet, observe a curfew, and was banned from social media due to fears of flight amid an investigation into an attempted coup. He was also prohibited from communicating with his son and foreign diplomats.