The lawyers for the 70-year-old former president initially filed appeals and motions to suppress statements, questioning the accumulation of charges and possible procedural errors.

But the First Chamber of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) unanimously rejected them, confirming the 27-year and three-month prison sentence for attempting a coup d’état after the 2022 elections.

This ruling marked the end of the ordinary legal avenues, leaving Bolsonaro in the custody of the Federal Police at one of their headquarters in the capital.

For a time, the defense sought to rely on the vote of Justice Luiz Fux, the only member of the first panel who expressed his opinion in favor of the acquittal of the former Army captain.

The aim was to force a new review of the case, this time by the full court, but the appeal was blocked.

According to Supreme Federal Court (STF) jurisprudence, dissenting votes are only valid when there are at least two dissenting votes in a panel, which did not occur in this case. Fux was the only one who disagreed with the opinion of the rapporteur, Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

Now, the far-right politician’s legal team is exploring extraordinary strategies, such as appealing on constitutional grounds or requesting precautionary measures that would allow for a special regime for serving his sentence, including house arrest due to health reasons or advanced age.

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