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| Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting Brazil coup | Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting Brazil coup |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Jair Bolsonaro was found guilty of five charges | Jair Bolsonaro was found guilty of five charges |
| The former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has been sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison after being found guilty of plotting a military coup. | The former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has been sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison after being found guilty of plotting a military coup. |
| A panel of five Supreme Court justices handed down the sentence just hours after they had convicted the former leader. | A panel of five Supreme Court justices handed down the sentence just hours after they had convicted the former leader. |
| They ruled he was guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. | They ruled he was guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. |
| Four of the justices found him guilty while one voted to acquit him. | Four of the justices found him guilty while one voted to acquit him. |
| Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest, did not attend the trial but has in the past called it a "witch hunt". | Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest, did not attend the trial but has in the past called it a "witch hunt". |
| His words have previously been echoed by US President, Donald Trump, who imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods, framing them as retaliation for Bolsonaro's prosecution. | His words have previously been echoed by US President, Donald Trump, who imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods, framing them as retaliation for Bolsonaro's prosecution. |
| Reacting to the guilty verdict, Trump said he found it "very surprising" and compared it to his own experience: "That's very much like they tried to do with me. But they didn't get away with it at all." | Reacting to the guilty verdict, Trump said he found it "very surprising" and compared it to his own experience: "That's very much like they tried to do with me. But they didn't get away with it at all." |
| US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Brazil's Supreme Court had "unjustly ruled to imprison former President Jair Bolsonaro" and threatened to "respond accordingly to this witch hunt". | US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Brazil's Supreme Court had "unjustly ruled to imprison former President Jair Bolsonaro" and threatened to "respond accordingly to this witch hunt". |
| Bolsonaro, who is 70, now faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison. | Bolsonaro, who is 70, now faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison. |
| His lawyers are expected to argue that he should be kept under house arrest instead of being sent to jail. | His lawyers are expected to argue that he should be kept under house arrest instead of being sent to jail. |
| They will also plead for a lower sentence. | |
| However, they will not be able to appeal against the verdict itself, as that would only have been possible if two out of the five justices had voted to acquit. | |
| Bolsonaro was found guilty of five charges, all relating to his attempt to cling to power after he was beaten in the 2022 election. | |
| But prosecutors said he had started to plot to stay in power long before, proposing a coup to military commanders and sowing unfounded doubts about the electoral system. | |
| They also said that Bolsonaro knew of a plan to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, as well as a Supreme Court Justice. | |
| The justices found he had led a conspiracy and also convicted seven of his co-conspirators, including senior military officers. Among them are two former defence ministers, a former spy chief and former security minster. | |
| While the plot failed to enlist enough support from the military to go ahead, it did culminate in the storming of government buildings by Bolsonaro's supporters on 8 January 2023, the justices found. |