Brazil’s Supreme Court on Thursday reached the majority needed to convict former president Jair Bolsonaro of plotting a coup, making a lengthy prison term likely, AFP reported.Judge Carmen Lucia was the third of five judges to find the 70-year-old far-right leader guilty of trying to reclaim power after losing the 2022 election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The final ruling will come after the fifth judge casts his vote.Bolsonaro could face more than 40 years in prison if convicted on all five charges, including leading a “criminal organisation” to conspire against Lula’s government. Lucia voted to convict him on that charge, with decisions on the others still pending.Bolsonaro insists he is the victim of political persecution. His ally, US president Donald Trump, had earlier called the case a “witch hunt” and retaliated by slapping 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports.
