Brazil’s ex-president Bolsonaro begins 27-year prison sentence for coup attempt

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has started his 27-year prison sentence for leading a coup attempt, to the surprise of many in the South American nation who doubted he would ever end up behind bars.

Supreme court justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has overseen the case, ruled Bolsonaro will remain in custody after being pre-emptively arrested on Saturday.

The far-right leader had been under house arrest since August and was taken to federal police headquarters on Saturday after trying to break his ankle monitor.

Bolsonaro blamed “hallucinations”, a claim that Justice de Moraes dismissed in his pre-emptive arrest order.

Bolsonaro will not have any contact with the few other inmates at the federal police headquarters. His 12-square-metre room has a bed, a private bathroom, air conditioning, a TV set and a desk, according to federal police.

The supreme court justice determined on Tuesday that Bolsonaro’s defence had exhausted all appeals of his conviction. His lawyers had requested house arrest due to his poor health, but the judge ruled against it.

Brazil’s criminal law could also have allowed the 70-year-old to be transferred to a local prison or to a prison room in a military facility in the capital Brasilia.

The former president and several of his allies were convicted by a panel of supreme court justices for attempting to overthrow Brazil’s democracy following his 2022 election defeat.

The plot included plans to kill President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Justice de Moraes. The plan also involved encouraging an insurrection in early 2023.

The former president was also found guilty of charges including leading an armed criminal organisation and attempting the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law.

Bolsonaro has always denied wrongdoing.

Two others convicted, Augusto Heleno and Paulo Sergio Nogueira, both army generals, were sent to a military facility in Brasilia to start serving their sentences. Former justice minister Anderson Torres is now imprisoned at the Papuda prison, also in Brazil’s capital.

Admiral Almir Garnier will serve his term at navy facilities in Brasilia.

Bolsonaro’s running mate and former defense minister Walter Braga Netto, another army general, will remain in prison at a military facility in Rio de Janeiro.

Justice de Moraes also confirmed that politician and former head of Brazil’s intelligence agency Alexandre Ramagem is on the loose in the US.

Bolsonaro remains a key figure in Brazilian politics, despite being ineligible to run for office until at least until 2030 after a separate ruling by Brazil’s top electoral court. Polls show he would be a competitive candidate in next year’s vote if allowed to run.

The former president is an ally of US president Donald Trump, who has called the trial of the former Brazilian leader a “witch hunt”.

Bolsonaro was mentioned in a July order by the US administration to raise tariffs on several Brazilian exports by 50%.

Relations between the two countries have improved since, with Mr Lula and Mr Trump meeting in Malaysia at the Asean summit in October. Most of those higher tariffs have been dropped.

The US also imposed sanctions on Justice de Moraes and other Brazilian officials.

The measures in support of Bolsonaro did not have their desired effect and the trial proceeded nevertheless.

Mr Lula’s popularity was boosted by the perception that he was defending Brazilian sovereignty.

Bolsonaro is not the first former president to spend time behind bars.

His predecessor Michel Temer (2016-2018) and his successor Mr Lula have also been to prison.

Fernando Collor de Mello, who governed between 1990 and 1992, is currently under house arrest due to a corruption conviction.

Bolsonaro is the first to be convicted of attempting a coup.