Bolsonaro Sentenced to Over 27 Years   09/12 06:06

   

   BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) -- A panel of Brazilian Supreme Court justices 
sentenced former president Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months in 
prison Thursday after convicting him of attempting a coup to remain in office 
despite his 2022 electoral defeat.

   Bolsonaro, who has always denied any wrongdoing, can try to appeal the 
ruling. He is currently under house arrest in Brasilia.

   Four of the five justices reviewing the case in the panel found the 
far-right politician guilty on five counts, in a ruling that will deepen 
political divisions and was expected to prompt a backlash from the U.S. 
government. It makes Bolsonaro is the first former Brazilian president to be 
convicted of attempting a coup.

   The five counts are: attempting a coup after losing the 2022 race to 
President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva in a plot that prosecutors alleged included 
plans to kill Lula; participating in an armed criminal organization; attempted 
violent abolition of the democratic rule of law; damage qualified by violence; 
and deterioration of listed heritage.

   Bolsonaro's co-conspirators, all of them former Brazilian officials, were 
also sentenced for their roles in the attempted coup. Gen. Braga Netto, 
Bolsonaro's former defense minister and running mate in 2022, received 26 
years. Admiral Almir Garnier got 24 years. Gen. Augusto Heleno received 21 
years and Gen. Paulo Srgio Nogueira got 19 years. Lieutenant Colonel Mauro 
Cid, who cooperated with investigations, was given two years under an open 
regime.

   Chief Justice Lus Roberto Barroso joined the panel at the end of the 
session and called the trial a "watershed moment in Brazil's history."

   US officials call it 'witch hunt'

   The U.S. government immediately criticized the ruling and warned it would 
respond.

   U.S. President Donald Trump said he was "very unhappy" with the conviction. 
Speaking to reporters as he departed the White House, he said he'd always found 
Bolsonaro to be "outstanding."

   And later, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on his X account that 
Trump's government "will respond accordingly to this witch hunt."

   Trump's administration had already applied a 50% tariff on imported 
Brazilian goods, which it said was in reaction to the process against Bolsonaro.

   Bolsonaro won't go to prison yet

   The sentence doesn't mean Bolsonaro will immediately go to prison. The court 
panel has now up to 60 days to publish the ruling. Once it does, Bolsonaro's 
lawyers have five days to file motions for clarification.

   His lawyers have said that they will try to appeal both the conviction and 
sentence before the full Supreme Court of 11 justices, although some experts 
think it's unlikely to be accepted.

   "It's unlikely, but not impossible, that there will be appeals to the full 
Supreme Court," said Rafael Mafei, lawyer and law professor at University of 
Sao Paulo and ESPM university. "But of course, the defenses will try, because 
they should."

   One of the justices, Crmen Lcia, said she was convinced by the evidence 
the Attorney General's Office presented against the former president. "He is 
the instigator, the leader of an organization that orchestrated every possible 
move to maintain or seize power," she said.

   Sen. Flvio Bolsonaro, the former president's eldest son, said on X the 
conviction was a "supreme persecution" and that history would show they were on 
the right side.

   Trial has divided Brazilians

   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 who contends he is being 
politically persecuted.

   Observers say the U.S. 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 Tuesday that 
Bolsonaro was the leader of a coup plot and of a criminal organization, and 
voted in favor of convicting him.

   Lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, another of the former president's sons, on 
Thursday talked about his father on his social media platforms. But instead of 
mentioning his father's conviction, he pushed for his amnesty, which he is 
seeking through Congress.

   "It is time to do nothing less than what is correct, just," he said.

   Thomas Traumann, a former government minister and political consultant based 
in Rio de Janeiro, said it is "the most important day for Brazil's democracy 
since the 1988 constitution was approved."

   "It is the first time a former President, a former Defense minister and a 
former military commander are punished for trying to stop an elected government 
from taking office," Traumann said.

   "The threats of the American government make this decision of the Supreme 
Court an even braver one. The relations between the two countries will get 
worse and maybe get better once the Trump administration understands there are 
limits to the will it wants to impose," he added.

   Bolsonaro remains a political force

   Justice Luis Fux, in his dissenting opinion on Wednesday, disagreed with de 
Moraes and the other two justices, casting the lone acquittal vote.

   "No one can be punished for cogitation," Fux said. "A coup d'tat does not 
result from isolated acts or individual demonstrations lacking coordination, 
but rather from the actions of organized groups, equipped with resources and 
strategic capacity to confront and replace the incumbent power."

   Bolsonaro faced accusations he attempted to illegally hang onto power after 
his 2022 electoral defeat to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

   Prosecutors charged Bolsonaro with counts including attempting to stage a 
coup, being part of an armed criminal organization, attempted violent abolition 
of the democratic rule of law, as well as being implicated in violence and 
posing a serious threat to the state's assets and listed heritage.

   "Bolsonaro attempted a coup in this country, and there is hundreds of pieces 
of evidence," Lula said early Thursday in an interview with local TV Band, 
ahead of the trial.

   Bolsonaro already barred from running for office

   Despite his legal woes, Bolsonaro remains a powerful political player in 
Brazil.

   The far-right politician 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 Lula next year.

   The ruling may push Bolsonaro's allied lawmakers to seek some amnesty for 
him through Congress.

   "I had the honor to serve as Jair Messias Bolsonaro's chief of staff. I have 
never seen any act from him that wasn't out of love for Brazil and absolute 
honesty. Bolsonaro is the greatest popular right-wing leader in the country's 
history," Sen. Ciro Nogueira said on X.

   Lindbergh Farias, the Workers' Party leader in the lower house, told 
journalists outside the court that the trial "should bury the discussion about 
amnesty in Congress."

   "This is for everyone who fought the military dictatorship years ago. Our 
democracy is strong now," Farias said.

   After the court panel debates on Bolsonaro's sentence, the embattled former 
leader could face increased pressure to pick a political heir to likely 
challenge Lula in the general elections next year.

   "There is a God in heaven who sees everything, who loves justice and hates 
iniquity," former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro wrote on social media.