The ex-president of Brazil, Bolsonaro, was found guilty of an attempted coup d’état
Brazil’s Supreme Court found 70-year-old former President Jair Bolsonaro guilty of conspiring to hold on to power after losing the 2022 election to his opponent Luiz Lula da Silva. reports BBC.
The ex-president was found guilty on all five charges: attempted coup d’état, leadership of an armed criminal organization, attempt to violently abolish the democratic legal order, as well as two episodes related to damage to state property during the assault.
Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years and 3 months in prison. He rejects the accusations, calling the process a politically motivated witch hunt. The lawyers have already announced their intention to appeal the verdict.
The politician did not attend the meeting due to health problems. Back in 2018, he survived an attack with a knife, after which he has chronic complications. Since the beginning of August, Bolsonaro has been under house arrest following police statements about an attempt by him and his son Eduardo to interfere in the legal process.
The prosecutor’s office emphasizes that the conspiracy was being prepared long before the events in Brasilia: Bolsonaro convinced the military to support the coup and spread groundless doubts about the electoral system. According to the prosecution, he also knew about the plot to assassinate Lula, his campaign associate and Supreme Court judge.
Judge Carmen Lucia emphasized that it was Bolsonaro’s actions that provoked the events of January 8, 2023, when thousands of his supporters stormed and damaged the Supreme Court, the presidential palace, and the Congress buildings in the country’s capital.
