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Tuesday, 6 October 2026dailybeirut.com
World
Brazil's Supreme Court plans to review Jair Bolsonaro's 27-year sentence after the presidential election, citing alleged trial irregularities.
The Brazilian Federal Supreme Court intends to examine a defense request to overturn the 27-year prison sentence imposed on former President Jair Bolsonaro following the upcoming presidential election. The conviction stems from charges related to an attempted coup and armed insurrection.
According to the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, Supreme Court Justice Nunes Marques, who also presides over the Superior Electoral Court, plans to refer the defense petition to the court’s full bench of 11 justices once voting concludes. This procedural step aims to address legal challenges raised by Bolsonaro’s legal team regarding the original ruling.
The initial judgment sentenced Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for attempting to execute a coup and armed rebellion after his defeat in the 2022 elections. Subsequently, the custodial sentence was converted into house arrest due to the former president’s health condition.
Discussions about potentially nullifying the verdict coincided with the first-round success of Bolsonaro’s son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, in the October 4 vote. Flavio secured 47.03% of the ballots cast, while incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva received 45.16%. A second-round runoff between Flavio Bolsonaro and Lula da Silva is scheduled for October 25.
Folha de S.Paulo reported that Justice Nunes Marques indicated to close associates that several "overreachings" occurred during the trial presided over by Judge Alexandre de Moraes. Marques argued that Bolsonaro’s right to defense was violated and that the imposed penalty was excessively harsh. He further emphasized that Brazilian criminal law does not provide for "political sanctions."
The prospect of releasing Bolsonaro may generate internal conflict within the Supreme Court. Five justices oppose revisiting the case, including Alexandre de Moraes, Flávio Dino, Cármen Lúcia, Cristiano Zanin, and Gilmar Mendes. This group maintains that appeals of this nature are admissible only if new evidence proves the defendant’s innocence, asserting that no such evidence exists in the current proceedings.
Conversely, Justices André Mendonça and Luís Fux are expected to support Marques’ initiative. The final outcome of the vote will likely depend on the positions taken by Chief Justice Edson Fachin and Justice Dias Toffoli.
