Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison, shortly after a majority of a Supreme Court panel voted to convict him on charges related to an attempted military coup, report Al Jazeera.
On Thursday, four out of five of the justices had found Bolsonaro guilty of trying to illegally retain power after his 2022 electoral defeat to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
A fourth judge, Justice Luiz Fux, broke with his colleagues on Wednesday and voted to acquit the 70-year-old former president of all charges.
Currently under house arrest, Bolsonaro faced up to 40 years in prison after being found guilty on five charges, including leading a "criminal organisation" to conspire to overthrow Lula.
Following Thursday's ruling, Bolsonaro's lawyers said they will appeal the sentence.
"The defense considers the sentences handed down to be incredibly excessive and disproportionate and… will file the appropriate appeals, including at the international level," according to a statement posted on social media by Bolsonaro's aide Fabio Wajngarten.
Bolsonaro has maintained he will run for president in 2026, despite Brazil's top electoral court barring him from running in elections until 2030 for spreading unfounded claims about Brazil's electronic voting system.
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