Brazil’s Supreme Court closed the Bolsonaro coup trial on Tuesday in a first-ever landmark ruling, which could see the former Brazilian President ending up serving a life imprisonment of up to 40 years.
According to the proceedings of the court, Bolsonaro is most likely heading for jail for trying a coup on Lula’s elected government in 2022. The verdict will also block his hopes of making a Donald Trump-style comeback from a criminal conviction to the highest post in the Latin American powerhouse.
Bolsonaro and his seven co-accused, including several former ministers and generals, should learn their fate by September 12. While his supporters have held a series of marches to show solidarity with the right-wing former president, the Brazilian government and the Supreme Court have remained firm in their stand against what they said was an unacceptable conspiracy that could have sent the country into chaos.
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Meanwhile, support for Bolsonaro also poured in from international corners, especially from US President Donald Trump, who denounced the move as a witch hunt against his friend and slapped a 50 per cent tariff on Brazil.
The US Treasury has also sanctioned the presiding judge and long-time Bolsonaro nemesis, Alexandre de Moraes, a figure of hate on the Brazilian and US right. Five judges will announce their votes on the verdict against Bolsonaro later today; a simple majority of three is needed for a guilty verdict.
If Bolsonaro is convicted on five charges and given the maximum sentence for each crime, he could be imprisoned for 43 years.
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