On Thursday, the populist ex-leader was found guilty by four out of five judges examining the case at Brazil's Supreme Court, on all five counts he faced, making him the first Brazilian leader ever to be found guilty of an attempt to overturn an election. On house arrest in the lead-up to the verdict, he has now been sentenced to more than 27 years in prison.
The majority of a panel of Supreme Court justices voted to convict the far-right former Brazilian leader of trying to overturn his election defeat to Lula da Silva in 2022. Bolsonaro, who is being held in house arrest, has been declared a flight riskImage: Diego Herculano/REUTERS The majority of a panel of Brazilian Supreme Court justices found former president Jair Bolsonaro guilty of plotting a coup in 2022 after he lost the 2022 presidential election to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
On September 2, the trial of former Brazilian president Jair Messias Bolsonaro, 70, enters its final phase. The far-right leader is accused of leading a coup plot to subvert the election results and remain in power after being defeated in the 2022 elections. The Supreme Court in Brasilia has convened five sessions to deliberate in this historic trial. Never before has a former Brazilian president or military officer been held accountable for a coup. Until now.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva described Donald Trump's proposed 50 percent tariffs on Brazil as "unacceptable blackmail," during a televised speech. Lula criticized Brazilian politicians who support Trump, labeling them as "traitors to the homeland." He reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining positive commercial relations but asserted that "Brazil has only one owner: the Brazilian people." Trump responded with a letter urging Lula's government to cease its attacks on his ally, former President Jair Bolsonaro, emphasizing his disapproval of the "unjust system" facing Bolsonaro.
