Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro faces imminent imprisonment after the Supreme Court rejected his appeal against a 27-year sentence for a failed coup attempt.
According to a report from AFP, Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro is running out of legal options to avoid prison after the Supreme Court rejected his appeal on Friday against a 27-year sentence for a failed coup attempt.
Bolsonaro was convicted in September for trying to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from assuming office following the 2022 elections.
Prosecutors said the scheme included plans to assassinate Lula and a top Supreme Court judge but failed due to insufficient support from the military.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the lead judge, confirmed that once the final judgment is published, an arrest warrant is usually issued on the same day. Court sources estimate Bolsonaro could be imprisoned in the last week of November.
Bolsonaro, 70, has been under house arrest since August and could request to serve his term at home due to health issues from a 2018 stabbing attack.
Justice Moraes emphasized Bolsonaro’s central role in orchestrating the January 8 attack on Brazil’s Congress and other institutions, highlighting the gravity and impact of the crimes. “The sentence of 27 years and three months was based on Bolsonaro’s high culpability as president and the severity and impact of the crimes,” Moraes said.
Additionally, a majority of judges voted to advance a criminal case against Bolsonaro’s son, Eduardo, for coercion related to lobbying for US sanctions to influence his father’s trial.