Supreme Court Panel Rejects Bolsonaro’s Appeal Against 27-Year Sentence — Final Votes Due Nov. 14

Supreme Court panel rejects Bolsonaro’s appeal; final votes due Nov. 14

A five-judge panel of Brazil’s Supreme Court has, by majority, voted to reject former president Jair Bolsonaro’s appeal seeking to overturn a 27-year, 3-month prison sentence for allegedly plotting a coup to remain in power after the 2022 election.

Justices Flávio Dino, Alexandre de Moraes and Cristiano Zanin recorded votes to dismiss the appeal presented by Bolsonaro’s legal team. The remaining two members of the panel have until the court deadline of November 14 to register their votes electronically. The decision is not formally final until that deadline; Bolsonaro will begin serving the sentence only after all appeals are exhausted.

Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the trial, was the first to submit his vote and said the defence’s arguments to reduce the sentence were “without merit.” In a 141-page ruling seen by AFP, Moraes dismissed claims that the defence had been overwhelmed by documents and digital files and therefore prevented from preparing an adequate case. He also rejected the suggestion that the coup plan failed because Bolsonaro abandoned it, saying the plan collapsed due to external factors rather than any renunciation by the former president.

Moraes reaffirmed that the record shows a deliberate attempt to stage a coup directed by Bolsonaro, with substantial evidence of his involvement. He also reiterated Bolsonaro’s role in fomenting the January 8 attack on Brazil’s democratic institutions, when supporters demanded a military takeover to prevent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from assuming the presidency. The judge wrote that the 27 years and 3 months sentence reflects Bolsonaro’s high degree of culpability and the seriousness and impact of the offences, and noted that the former president’s age had already been treated as a mitigating factor.

Bolsonaro, 70, has been under house arrest since August after prosecutors said he breached precautionary measures in a separate case. Because he suffered serious injuries in a stabbing attack in 2018, his lawyers are expected to request that any custodial term be served under similar conditions on medical grounds.

The case has also produced notable political fallout. An effort by Bolsonaro’s supporters in Congress to pass an amnesty that might have benefited him collapsed after widespread protests. The trial has drawn reactions at home and abroad, and some media coverage has reported diplomatic tensions and trade disputes linked to political fallout — though relations between Brasília and Washington have shown signs of thawing in recent months.

With the conservative political space in Brazil lacking a clear standard-bearer ahead of the 2026 presidential campaign, the verdict and its aftermath are likely to shape domestic politics in the run-up to the next election cycle.

Key dates: Remaining panel votes due by Nov. 14. Sentence enforced only after all appeals are exhausted.