Zürcher Nachrichten - Brazil ex-leader Bolsonaro appeals 27-year prison sentence

The far-right firebrand's lawyers allege "ambiguities, omissions, contradictions and obscurities" in the Supreme Court decision finding him guilty of attempting to oust President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in a divisive trial that sparked the ire of US President Donald Trump.

Supreme Court judges have no deadline to examine the appeal arguments.

The plot envisaged the assassination of Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin, and Alexandre de Moraes -- one of the five Supreme Court judges deciding Bolsonaro's fate.

Prosecutors said the plan failed only due to a lack of support from military top brass.

Bolsonaro has been under house arrest since August. Under Brazilian law, he will not be sent to prison until all legal avenues are exhausted.

Thiago Bottino, a law professor at the Getuliuo Vargas Foundation, told AFP that while it was unusual for the Supreme Court to reverse its rulings, it had made adjustments, such as to the length of the sentence.

If his appeal fails, Bolsonaro could request to serve his sentence under house arrest, claiming poor health.

The 70-year-old was recently diagnosed with skin cancer and was briefly admitted to hospital in September after suffering violent bouts of hiccups, vomiting and low blood pressure.

He has had multiple health issues and operations in recent years due to complications following a 2018 stabbing in his abdomen while campaigning for president.

In May, another former president, Fernando Collor de Mello, was given permission to serve his nearly nine-year sentence for corruption at home, on grounds of ill health.

Bolsonaro's allies in Congress had been pushing for an amnesty bill that could benefit the former president and hundreds of supporters who were convicted of storming government buildings a week after Lula took office in January 2023.

However, the initiative fizzled out after massive protests.

Even before his conviction, Bolsonaro had been disqualified from seeking public office until 2030 over his unproven fraud allegations against the country's voting system.

While staunch supporters insist there is still a chance for him to be on the ballot in 2026 elections, various names are circulating as a possible replacement as conservative standard bearer.

These include Sao Paulo governor Tarcisio de Freitas and former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro.

Lula, who turned 80 on Monday, last week confirmed he would seek a fourth term in office in 2026.

The veteran leftist had been bleeding support at the start of the year, but has turned his fortunes around in recent months with his handling of a trade war with the United States.

US President Donald Trump imposed punitive tariffs and sanctions against Brazilian officials over what he had termed a "witch hunt" against his ally Bolsonaro.

Lula's popularity increased as he positioned himself as the defender of Brazilian sovereignty against Trump.

He has since scored points for charming Trump and securing the first official face-to-face meeting between the two leaders to negotiate the tariffs in Malaysia over the weekend.

W.O.Ludwig--NZN