Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro speaks to the press at Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, March 26, 2025, after panel of Brazil Supreme Court justices accepted charges against him over an alleged attempt to stay in office after his 2022 election defeat. (AP Photo/Luis Nova)
Brazil’s Supreme Court has begun reviewing former president Jair Bolsonaro’s appeal against a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup, with two judges already voting to uphold the conviction.
The 70-year-old former leader was found guilty in September of orchestrating a plan to prevent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office.
Prosecutors argued that Bolsonaro’s attempt to cling to power collapsed only because senior military commanders refused to back the scheme.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes—who presided over the original trial—was the first of four judges to cast his vote electronically. In a 141-page opinion obtained by AFP, he dismissed claims by Bolsonaro’s defense team that the sentence should be reduced, calling their arguments “without merit.”
Moraes rejected the lawyers’ allegation that the vast volume of documents in the case had hindered their defense, insisting they had been given full and fair access.
He also dismissed the claim that Bolsonaro abandoned the coup plot of his own volition, writing that it failed due to external circumstances, not because the former president renounced it.
Bolsonaro’s legal team had argued the verdict contained “ambiguities, omissions, contradictions, and obscurities,” but Moraes reaffirmed the court’s finding that the coup plan was deliberately orchestrated under Bolsonaro’s leadership and supported by substantial evidence.
He upheld the sentence of 27 years and three months, citing Bolsonaro’s high degree of culpability as president and the far-reaching consequences of the crimes.
He added that Bolsonaro’s age had already been factored in as a mitigating circumstance.
A second judge voted within hours to confirm the sentence as well.
What Comes Next
The Supreme Court is considering the appeal in a virtual session running from November 7 to 14. Bolsonaro, who has been under house arrest since August, cannot be imprisoned until all appeals are exhausted.
His defense team may file another appeal if this one is rejected, though the court could decline to hear it—at which point the former president could be jailed. Due to the lingering health problems from a 2018 stabbing, Bolsonaro could request to serve his sentence under house arrest.
Prosecutors say the coup plot included plans to assassinate President Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the judge now reviewing the appeal.
Political and International Fallout
Bolsonaro’s trial initially provoked a backlash from his international allies—notably U.S. President Donald Trump, who imposed sanctions on Brazilian officials and levied punitive tariffs in response.
However, relations have recently improved. Trump and Lula have held talks, and negotiations to ease the tariffs remain underway.
The outcome of the appeal now looms as a major political moment in Brazil, where Bolsonaro’s 15-year influence over national politics hangs in the balance.
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