Brazil’s Supreme Court declared the sentence against former president Jair Bolsonaro “final”, thereby opening the door to the execution of the 27 years and 3 months sentence set at the end of the trial that ended last September for the 2023 coup attempt. This was reported by local media. Brazil’s far-right leader is currently in prison at the federal police headquarters in Brasilia, where he was locked up a few days ago after trying to sabotage the electronic ankle bracelet used to monitor him during the house arrest ordered on him as part of another criminal case related to an alleged attempt to obstruct the course of justice in a major trial.
Also final were the sentences of former justice minister Anderson Torres and former federal deputy Alexandre Ramagen, who were sentenced to 24 and 16 years in prison respectively for participating in a plot to keep Bolsonaro in power after his 2022 election defeat. Bolsonato led a plot aimed at preventing Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from assuming the presidency, even if he won the general election. The court underscored the gravity of the crimes committed, including acts of violence and destruction of historical heritage committed on January 8, 2023 by thousands of Bolsonaro supporters, who, at the instigation of the former president, had breached the government and national congress buildings in Brasilia just as the Trumpist group did on January 6, 2021 in Washington.
Lawyers for the three convicts have dropped an appeal known as an “embargo de declaracao”, which is designed to require the correction of formal errors in sentences, and which can only change sentences in exceptional cases. In theory, the lawyers could file another appeal on Saturday with a greater chance of influencing the content of the sentence – the so-called “offence embargo” – but the Federal Court has legalized a practice according to which this tool can be adopted in cases of sentences issued by at least two judges who oppose them, and not just one, as was the case in this case.
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The whistleblower of the case, Alexandre de Moraes, will determine the time and prison in which Bolsonaro will begin to pay his fair share of the bill. Moraes’ decision could be known “at any time.”
