Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been found guilty of trying to cling to power through an attempted military coup by a majority of justices on a Supreme Court panel.
As of late on Thursday, three out of five of the justices had found Bolsonaro guilty of trying to illegally retain power after his 2022 electoral defeat to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Justice Carmen Lucia said there was ample evidence that Bolsonaro acted “with the purpose of eroding democracy and institutions”.
A fourth judge, Justice Luiz Fux, broke with his colleagues on Wednesday and voted to acquit the 70-year-old former president of all charges.
Bolsonaro’s conviction will become final when the fifth and last judge pronounces his verdict.
Currently under house arrest, Bolsonaro could face a prison sentence of more than 40 years after being found guilty on five charges, including leading a “criminal organisation” to conspire to overthrow Lula.
The high court panel is expected to decide on a sentence on Friday.
But Fux’s vote could invite challenges to the ruling and bring the trial’s conclusion closer to the run-up of the 2026 presidential election, in which Bolsonaro has repeatedly said he is a candidate.
In 2023, the former president was barred by Brazil’s top electoral court from running in elections until 2030 for spreading unfounded claims about Brazil’s electronic voting system.
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