Brazil’s Supreme Court Sentences Eduardo Bolsonaro To 4 Years
By ABr
By Andre Richter
On Tuesday (Jun. 16), the First Panel of the Supreme Court sentenced former congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro to 4 years and 2 months in prison under a semi-open regime for obstruction of justice. The decision is subject to appeal.
In addition to the prison term, the former lawmaker was sentenced to eight years of ineligibility for public office and stripped of his position as a clerk with the Federal Police.
Unanimously, the panel agreed with the charges brought by the Attorney General’s Office and found evidence suggesting that the former congressman orchestrated the US tariff hike on Brazilian exports in an attempt to prevent the conviction of his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, in the coup plot case.
Furthermore, according to the Court’s ruling, other measures adopted by the US government – such as the revocation of visas for Brazilian Supreme Court justices and government officials, as well as the imposition of economic sanctions under the Magnitsky Act – also served the same purpose.
Former congressman
Eduardo Bolsonaro has been in the United States since last year and, as a result, lost his seat in the House of Representatives for failing to attend congressional sessions.
In practice, he is not expected to serve his sentence while abroad. The former lawmaker is an ally of President Donald Trump, and it is unlikely that the US government would comply with a request to enforce the ruling.
Prosecution
During the trial, Deputy Attorney General Antônio Edilio Magalhães Teixeira outlined the charges against Eduardo Bolsonaro and argued for his conviction.
According to the deputy attorney general, Eduardo Bolsonaro’s threats were made during the proceedings related to the coup plot and took the form of tariff hikes, the suspension of visas for eight of the Court’s 11 justices, and economic sanctions under the Magnitsky Act.
Defense
The former congressman was represented by the Federal Public Defender’s Office.
During the oral arguments, Public Defender Esdras dos Santos Carvalho argued that Eduardo Bolsonaro had no influence over President Donald Trump’s decision to impose measures against Brazil. According to Carvalho, the former federal representative was merely engaged in “political dialogue.”
“Eduardo Bolsonaro had no decision-making power over US foreign policy, is not a member of the US government, and does not hold public office in that country,” Carvalho stated.
Votes
The unanimous 4–0 ruling followed the opinion of Reporting Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
Moraes said that the former congressman spread misinformation to the US government and caused harm to Brazil. However, according to the justice, those actions failed to prevent former President Jair Bolsonaro from being sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison.
The other justices on the Supreme Court’s First Panel – Cristiano Zanin, Cármen Lúcia, and Flávio Dino – followed the rapporteur’s vote.
