Majority of Brazilian Supreme Court panel convicts 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 electoral defeat in a ruling that will deepen political divisions and likely prompt a backlash from the United States governing body The far-right politician who governed Brazil between and was uncovered guilty on five counts by three members of a five-justice panel The latest to rule was C rmen L cia on Thursday a day after another justice Luiz Fux disagreed and voted to acquit the ex-president of all charges There is only 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 The -year-old former president who has denied any wrongdoing is right now under house arrest His lawyers have reported that they will appeal the verdict to the full Supreme Court of justices 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 L cia revealed 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 doable move to maintain or seize power she mentioned The trial has been followed by a divided society with people backing the process against the former president while others still backing him A few 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 U S President Donald Trump linked a tariff on imported Brazilian goods to his ally s legal situation calling it a witch hunt Observers say the U S might announce new sanctions against Brazil after the trial further straining their fragile diplomatic relations Justice Alexandre de Moraes who is overseeing the matter noted Tuesday that Bolsonaro was the leader of a coup plot and of a criminal organization and voted in favor of convicting him Earlier Thursday L cia also voted to convict Bolsonaro of organized crime in connection with the alleged coup attempt L cia allowed de Moraes to interrupt her vote and play several videos that indicated Bolsonaro in front of thousands of supporters between and urging him to leave the Supreme Court De Moraes also revealed footage of particular destruction inside the court s headquarters after the riots on Jan Bolsonaro faced accusations he attempted to illegally hang onto power after his electoral defeat to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Prosecutors charged him with five counts They include attempting to stage a coup being part of an armed criminal organization attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law as well as being implicated in violence and posing a serious threat to the state s assets and listed heritage Bolsonaro attempted a coup in this country and there is hundreds of pieces of evidence Lula mentioned early Thursday in an interview with local TV Band ahead of the trial The full interview was scheduled to air during the evening newscast Despite his legal woes Bolsonaro remains a powerful political member in Brazil The far-right politician had been previously banned from running for office until in a separate event He is expected to choose an heir who is likely to challenge President Luiz In cio Lula da Silva next year The ruling may push Bolsonaro s allied lawmakers to seek particular amnesty for him through Congress A full debate on sentencing is expected for Friday After that the embattled former leader could face increased pressure to pick a political heir to likely challenge Lula in the general elections next year A conviction could also compel allied lawmakers to seek particular amnesty for the former president through Congress S Pessoa informed from Sao Paulo Source