Brazil's Supreme Court has convicted nine defendants, including eight military officers and a federal police agent, of plotting to assassinate Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and other high-ranking officials, the Spanish EFE news agency reported. The case is related to the trial in which former President Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison, BTA reports.
The first chamber of the Supreme Court unanimously found nine of the ten defendants guilty, imposing sentences ranging from one to 24 years in prison. General Estevam Gaspar de Oliveira was acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
The decision is directly linked to Bolsonaro's conviction on September 11, when he was found guilty of conspiring to block Lula da Silva's inauguration after the 2022 elections.
According to the Federal Police, the convicted group planned to assassinate Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alcmin, and Judge Alixandri de Moraes, who was overseeing the election process. "There is no doubt about the guilt of the defendants," said Judge Flavio Dino, president of the First Chamber.
Most of the convicts belonged to an elite army unit and presented their plan directly to Bolsonaro in November 2022. Police have obtained hundreds of messages between the conspirators and documents detailing the attacks after Lula's victory.
Former President Bolsonaro has been under house arrest since August for violating court orders. Although his defense can file limited appeals, the Supreme Court has already rejected initial requests and is preparing to execute the sentence, possibly in a federal prison.
His lawyers cite health reasons for continuing his house arrest: Bolsonaro, 70, is suffering from complications after a stabbing in 2018 and was recently diagnosed with early-stage skin cancer.