A panel of Brazilian Supreme Court justices sentenced former president Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months in prison on Thursday after convicting him of attempting a coup to remain in office despite his 2022 electoral defeat.
Bolsonaro is under house arrest in Brasilia. He can appeal against the sentence.
Four of the five justices reviewing the case in the panel found the far-right politician guilty on five charges. US President Donald Trump said hours later that he was “very unhappy” with the conviction. He told reporters as he departed the White House that he always found Bolsonaro to be “outstanding".
The ruling will deepen political divisions and probably prompt a backlash from the US government.
The far-right politician who governed Brazil between 2019 and 2022 was found guilty on five charges. His lawyers have said they will appeal against the verdict to the full Supreme Court of 11 justices. Bolsonaro, who has denied any wrongdoing, has not attended the hearings but has sent his lawyers.
The trial has been followed by a divided society, with people backing the process against the former president, while others still support him. Some have taken to the streets to back the far-right leader.
Bolsonaro’s trial received renewed attention after Mr Trump linked a 50 per cent tariff on imported Brazilian goods to his ally’s legal situation, calling it a “witch hunt”. Observers say the US might announce new sanctions against Brazil after the trial, further straining their fragile diplomatic relations.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the case, said on Tuesday that Bolsonaro was the leader of a coup plot and of a criminal organisation, and voted in favour of convicting him.
Bolsonaro faced accusations that he tried to illegally hang on to power after his 2022 electoral defeat to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He faced five charges: attempting to stage a coup; being part of an armed criminal organisation; attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law; being implicated in violence; and posing a serious threat to the state’s assets and listed heritage.
Despite his legal woes, Bolsonaro remains a powerful political player in Brazil. He had been previously banned from running for office until 2030 in a separate case. He is expected to choose an heir who is likely to challenge Mr da Silva next year.
The ruling may push Bolsonaro-allied politicians to seek some amnesty for him through Congress.
