Court orders Bolsonaro to serve 27-year sentence for attempted coup

Brazil's Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro must go to jail for plotting a coup against his successor. The verdict marks the culmination of years of political turmoil and legal wrangling.

The court formally closed the case on Tuesday, the conviction is final and awaits only confirmation by a four-judge panel. However, the panel rejected Bolsonaro's appeal earlier this month.

Judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro to begin his sentence at the Federal Police detention facility in Brasilia, where he was arrested Saturday after tampering with his monitoring bracelet while under house arrest.

The ruling is another hard blow for the politician, who rose to the presidency in 2019. After leaving office in 2022, he was censured, barred from running for public office and gradually isolated even from former allies.

His sons speak of "psychological torture", but Bolsonaro insists he wants to return to politics again. The conviction, however, raises doubts about whether he will succeed in the future.

(reuters, est)