Majority of Brazilian Supreme Court panel convicts former president Jair Bolsonaro of attempting a coup

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — The majority of a panel of Brazilian Supreme Court justices on Thursday voted to convict former president Jair Bolsonaro of attempting a coup to remain in office despite his 2022 electoral defeat, in a ruling that will deepen political divisions and likely prompt a backlash from the United States government.

The far-right politician who governed Brazil between 2019 and 2022 was found guilty on five counts by three members of a five-justice panel.

The latest to rule was Cármen Lúcia on Thursday, a day after another justice, Luiz Fux, disagreed and voted to acquit the ex-president of all charges.

There is one justice left to vote but with three justices having voted to convict there is the needed majority.

Once all five justices have voted, the panel will decide on Bolsonaro’s sentence, which could amount to decades in prison.

US President Donald Trump said hours later that he was “very unhappy” with the conviction.

Speaking to reporters as he departed the White House, he said he always found Bolsonaro to be “outstanding.”

The conviction, he added, is “very bad for Brazil.”

Lawyers for Bolsonaro have said they will appeal the verdict to the full Supreme Court of 11 justices.

The 70-year-old former president, who has denied any wrongdoing, is currently under house arrest.

Bolsonaro is the first former Brazilian president to be convicted of attempting a coup.

He has not attended the court proceedings, and on Thursday morning he was seen at his house’s garage but didn’t speak to reporters.

Justice Lúcia said she was convinced by the evidence the Attorney General’s Office presented against the former president.

“He is the instigator, the leader of an organization that orchestrated every possible move to maintain or seize power,” she said.

The trial has been followed by a divided society, with people backing the process against the former president, while others still support him. Some have taken to the streets to back the far-right leader who contends he is being politically persecuted.

Bolsonaro’s trial got renewed attention after Trump linked a 50% tariff on imported Brazilian goods to his ally’s legal situation, calling it a “ witch hunt.”

Observers say the US might announce new sanctions against Brazil after the trial, further straining their fragile diplomatic relations.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the case, said Tuesday that Bolsonaro was the leader of a coup plot and of a criminal organization, and voted in favor of convicting him.

Lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, one of the former president’s sons, on Thursday talk about his father on his social media platforms. But instead of mentioning his father’s conviction, he pushed for his amnesty, which he is seeking through Congress.

“It is time to do nothing less than what is correct, just,” he said.

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