BARASILIA: Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison after being convicted of orchestrating a military coup.

A Supreme Court panel of five justices delivered the sentence just hours after finding him guilty of leading a conspiracy to remain in power following his 2022 election loss to left-wing rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Four justices voted to convict, while one voted to acquit.

Bolsonaro’s lawyers called the sentence “absurdly excessive” and announced plans to file “the appropriate appeals.” The court also barred him from holding public office until 2033.

Previously deemed a flight risk, Bolsonaro was under house arrest and did not attend the trial’s final phase in person.

He has claimed the proceedings were aimed at preventing his candidacy in the 2026 election, labeling the case a “witch hunt.”The former leader’s claims have been echoed internationally.

US President Donald Trump described the verdict as “very surprising” and likened it to attempts against him in the past, saying, “But they didn’t get away with it at all.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also criticized the ruling, stating that Brazil’s Supreme Court had “unjustly ruled to imprison former President Jair Bolsonaro” and warned of potential responses to what he called a “witch hunt.”