Khaberni - The Brazilian Supreme Court has officially rejected former President Jair Bolsonaro’s appeal against his 27-year imprisonment for orchestrating a coup attempt, significantly reducing his chances of avoiding imprisonment in the upcoming period.
Last week, the majority of the court's judges supported the rejection of the appeal, which was officially confirmed on Friday.
On September 11, the right-wing leader, who is 70 years old, was convicted after a trial at the Supreme Court. The judges concluded that Bolsonaro was at the helm of a "criminal organization" that conspired to ensure his "autocratic retention of power" regardless of the outcome of the October 2022 elections, which were won by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
According to the prosecution, the plot included the assassination of Lula and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, although it was not supported by the senior military officials.
A court source informed the French news agency that after the judicial decision is officially published, which might happen on Monday, Bolsonaro's defense team will have five days to file a final petition, although the source anticipated that it would be "quickly" rejected by Justice de Moraes, therebyfinalizing the legal proceedings in this case.
Then, Bolsonaro, who has been under house arrest since August, could be sent to prison during the last week of November.
Law professor Tiago Botino pointed out that "typically after the final verdict is published, an arrest warrant is issued on the same day" by the judge overseeing the trial, noting that it is up to de Moraes to determine the arrest date.
Given his health issues stemming from a stabbing incident in 2018, Bolsonaro might request the court to allow him to serve his sentence at home, similar to former President Fernando Collor de Mello (1990-1992), who was sentenced to eight years in prison on corruption charges.
The defense lawyers in the appeal talked about "profound grievances" and also "ambiguities, omissions, and contradictions" in the trial, demanding a reduction of the sentence.
De Moraes rejected this request, considering that the trial underscored Bolsonaro's central role in the coup attempt. He also reaffirmed his role as an instigator in the events of January 8, 2023, when hundreds of his supporters stormed government buildings in Brasília.
The trial has strained bilateral relations, especially trade, between Brazil and the United States, and its president Donald Trump, an ally of Bolsonaro.
Trump and his administration are pressuring the Brazilian judiciary, accusing it of unfairly pursuing the former president. In late July, Washington imposed sanctions on Justice de Moraes, which were expanded in September to include his wife as well.
