In brief
In a significant legal ruling, Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil, has been convicted by three of five Supreme Court justices for leading a conspiracy aimed at preventing his political defeat in the 2022 elections. This coup plot, which failed to gain military support, resulted in the storming of government buildings by Bolsonaro's supporters in January 2023. With sentencing set to occur on Friday, Bolsonaro may face a lengthy prison term as a consequence of this conviction.
The former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has been convicted of plotting a military coup.
Three out of five Supreme Court justices found the 70-year-old guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
While the plot failed to enlist enough support from the military to go ahead, it did culminate in the storming of government buildings by Bolsonaro's supporters on 8 January 2023, the justices found.
One justice acquitted Bolsonaro and a final one is yet to vote, but the simple majority is enough to convict the former president, who could now face decades in jail. He will be sentenced on Friday.
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