Bolsonaro faces prison as Supreme Court upholds 27-year sentence
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Prosecutors say Bolsonaro approved plots to block Lula from taking office, as judges push forward toward a final ruling that could see him jailed within days.
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Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro stands at the entrance of his home while he is under house arrest in Brasilia, Brazil, September 2, 2025. (AP)
Brazil’s far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro is running out of legal options after Supreme Court judges rejected his appeal against a 27-year prison sentence for his role in a failed coup attempt.
Bolsonaro, who lost the 2022 election to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, was convicted in September for orchestrating efforts to block Lula from taking office, a plot that prosecutors say included plans to assassinate Lula and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. According to prosecutors, the scheme collapsed only because senior military officials refused to support it.
A panel of Supreme Court justices unanimously voted last week to uphold Bolsonaro’s sentence, with the decision formally confirmed at midnight on Friday.
A court source told AFP that once the hearing result is published, expected as early as Monday, Bolsonaro’s legal team will have five days to file a new appeal. However, that appeal can be “quickly” dismissed by Moraes, the lead judge, who would then issue the final judgment.
“Generally, after the publication of the final judgment, the arrest warrant is issued on the same day,” said Thiago Bottino, a professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation Law School. Moraes will also decide where Bolsonaro is taken into custody.
According to court timelines, Bolsonaro could be imprisoned in the final week of November. The 70-year-old, who insists he is innocent, has been under house arrest since August. Because of ongoing health problems stemming from his 2018 stabbing, he may request to serve his sentence at home.
‘Ready to kill’
The charges center on Bolsonaro’s attempts to delegitimize Brazil’s voting system, paving the way for a military intervention in the event of his defeat. Prosecutors also detailed a plot to murder Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin, and Moraes, a plan they say Bolsonaro approved.
“We were ready to kill a lot of people,” said federal police agent Wladimir Soares, accused of being part of the hit squad, in an audio message released by the Supreme Court. “We were only awaiting orders from the president, but he backed down,” Soares added.
In rejecting the appeal, Moraes reaffirmed that a deliberate coup attempt had taken shape under Bolsonaro’s leadership, underscoring his role in inciting the January 8 attack on Congress and other key institutions, when Bolsonaro supporters stormed Brasília demanding a military takeover.
Moraes said the 27-year-and-three-month sentence reflects Bolsonaro’s “high culpability” as president and the gravity of the crimes committed. He noted that Bolsonaro’s age had already been considered a mitigating factor. Three other judges also voted to reject the appeal.
On the same day, a majority of the panel agreed to advance a criminal case against Bolsonaro’s son, federal lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, who is charged with “coercion.” Prosecutors say Eduardo, who currently resides in the United States, lobbied for US sanctions in an attempt to influence the outcome of his father’s coup trial.
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