247 - The convictions imposed by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) on Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and members of the central nucleus of the coup attempt generated a strong reaction among defense attorneys. According to Bela Megale, from the newspaper O Globo, the sentences were considered much harsher than expected, causing"alarm" and "surprise" among the defendants and their legal representatives.

Harsh sentences were expected, but preliminary calculations by Bolsonaro's and retired general Walter Braga Netto's legal teams indicated something around 20 years in prison. The trial, however, resulted in harsher punishments. Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison, while Braga Netto received 26 years, the highest sentence among the military officers identified as masterminding the plot.

Expectations frustrated by defenses

The lawyers were betting on applying the principle of consumptive punishment, which allows less serious crimes to be combined with more serious ones, which could significantly reduce sentences. Bolsonaro and Braga Netto's defense estimated, in a more favorable scenario, sentences closer to 13 years. This argument, however, was not accepted by the Supreme Federal Court, which decided to combine the offenses.

Crimes attributed to those convicted

The Supreme Federal Court (STF) charged Bolsonaro and Braga Netto with a series of crimes: attempted coup d'état, criminal organization, violent abolition of the rule of law, aggravated damage, and damage to listed heritage. With the decision, the penalties imposed solidify the Supreme Court's hard line on the episodes that marked the attempted institutional rupture in the country.