Brazil's Supreme Court on Thursday reached the majority needed to convict former President Jair Bolsonaro of organized crime and coup plotting in the historic trial accusing him of trying to remain in power after his 2022 electoral defeat to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The ruling will be announced this Friday.

Judge Cármen Lúcia Antunes was the third to vote in favor of the conviction, sealing the former president's fate."They wanted to damage and hijack the soul of the Republic" by "demoralizing the electoral process," she stated in her ruling.

Of the five judges on the court, three have already spoken in favor of convicting Bolsonaro and his collaborators, while one voted against. Only a fifth judge remains to vote.

The charges against Bolsonaro

The 70-year-old far-right leader was prosecuted along with seven former collaborators, including former ministers and military personnel, accused of:

• Violent abolition of the democratic rule of law
• Coup d'état
• Armed criminal organization
• Qualified damage
• Deterioration of protected assets

If the conviction is upheld, Bolsonaro could receive a maximum sentence of up to 43 years in prison.

Judge Antunes's argument

Antunes supported the arguments of rapporteur Alexandre de Moraes and asserted that there is "conclusive evidence" that a plot was hatched under Bolsonaro's leadership since 2021."The evil of anti-democracy was sown" with actions that sought to "attack institutions, harm the alternation of power, and undermine the free exercise of other powers," he explained.

During his speech, De Moraes projected images from January 8, 2023, when thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and vandalized the headquarters of the three branches of government in Brasilia, an event that the prosecution considers the culmination of the coup plot.

Reactions and next steps

Bolsonaro, under house arrest since August, did not attend the hearing and once again denied any wrongdoing. His lawyers announced they will appeal the ruling to the full Supreme Court, which is composed of 11 judges.

The former president faces the possibility of being politically disqualified in addition to his prison sentence. Meanwhile, the Court is expected to decide in the coming days the individual sentencing for each of the accused.

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