Brasil: Top Court Convicts Eduardo Bolsonaro Over Efforts To Influence Father's Coup Trial

Brazil’s Top Court Convicts Eduardo Bolsonaro Over Effort to Influence Father’s Coup Trial BRAZIL Brazil Brazil’s Supreme Court on Tuesday sentenced Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, to four years and two months in prison for lobbying the United States to intervene in his father’s coup trial, deepening the legal troubles facing one of the country’s most influential political families. A panel of Supreme Court justices found that Eduardo Bolsonaro had attempted to pressure Brazilian authorities by seeking US sanctions if proceedings against his father did not end favorably. The court also barred him from holding public office for eight years, a decision he may appeal. Eduardo Bolsonaro – the ex-president’s third son – lives in the United States and has been one of the most vocal defenders of his father. Prosecutors had accused him of seeking support from US President Donald Trump and using foreign pressure to influence the case. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said it was not the role of a Brazilian lawmaker “to lobby abroad against their own country,” while Justice Cristiano Zanin called Eduardo Bolsonaro’s actions “illegitimate and criminal.” Eduardo Bolsonaro said the case was intended to remove him from running in the upper house elections later this year, when he had planned to run as a substitute Senate candidate. He previously served as a lawmaker in the lower house of Congress but was stripped of his seat in December because of excessive absences. Jair Bolsonaro, the former conservative leader, was found guilty in September for plotting a coup against his leftist rival President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after losing the 2022 elections. He is now serving a 27-year prison sentence. Bolsonaro’s conviction follows a period of tensions between Brasília and Washington: Last year, Trump – an ally of the Bolsonaro family – imposed tariffs on Brazilian products and sanctioned de Moraes as punishment for what he called a “witch hunt” against Bolsonaro. Those measures were later lifted following an official meeting between Trump and Lula. The ruling comes as Brazil prepares for presidential elections in October. Polls suggest Lula and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, Jair Bolsonaro’s eldest son, could face a tight race.