Brazil’s Supreme Court has mandated that former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro begin serving a prison sentence of 27 years and three months for his involvement in a coup conspiracy following the 2022 election. On Tuesday, Justice Alexandre de Moraes ruled that the case had reached its final judgement, eliminating the possibility of further appeals.
Bolsonaro, who is 70 years old, was found guilty of leading a conspiracy to retain power after he lost the election to left-wing candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Currently, he is being held in a federal police jail in Brasília, having been transferred from home detention due to concerns about him being a flight risk.
During a court hearing on Sunday, Bolsonaro reportedly admitted to attempting to tamper with his ankle monitor using a soldering iron. He attributed his actions to “paranoia” exacerbated by medication, insisting he had no intention of fleeing. Justice Moraes has since mandated that Bolsonaro receive full-time medical care due to reports of his declining health.
The Supreme Court’s justices stated in September that Bolsonaro was aware of plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, while also targeting Justice Moraes, who presided over his trial. The conspiracy reportedly lacked military support, and Lula was sworn in as president without incident on January 1, 2023. However, a week later, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked government buildings in Brasília, leading to approximately 1,500 arrests.
The court also determined that Bolsonaro incited these riots, aiming for a military intervention to restore him to power. Furthermore, he has been banned from running for public office until 2060, eight years beyond the conclusion of his sentence. Justice Moraes ordered that sentences for other co-conspirators, including two former military generals, be enacted as well.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr4dl19npv5o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss