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Brazil: Jair Bolsonaro found guilty of attempting coup

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Bolsonaro, who is being held in house arrest, has been declared a flight risk © Diego Herculano/REUTERS

The majority of a panel of Supreme Court justices voted to convict the far-right former Brazilian leader of trying to overturn his election defeat to Lula da Silva in 2022. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison.

A panel of Brazilian Supreme Court justices on Thursday reached the majority of votes needed to convict former President Jair Bolsonaro of plotting a coup in 2022 after he lost the presidential election to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The right-wing populist was found guilty after three out of five Supreme Court justices voted to convict.

The court later sentenced him to 27 years in prison.

Justice Carmen Lucia, who issued the decisive third vote, framed the case as a “meeting between Brazil and its past, its present, and its future,” referring to previous attempts to overthrow democracy in the country’s history.

Lucia said there was enough evidence to demonstrate that Bolsonaro acted “with the purpose of eroding democracy and institutions.”

The judges voted to convict Bolsonaro of taking part in an armed criminal organization, attempting to violently abolish democracy, organizing a coup, and damaging government property and protected cultural assets.

The conviction will become final after the fifth judge, Lula’s former lawyer Cristiano Zanin, casts a vote. One judge has already voted to acquit.

What do we know about the charges against Bolsonaro?

On January 8, 2023, Bolsonaro supporters stormed several government buildings in the capital, Brasilia, just days after Lula’s inauguration.

In July, Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet said that Bolsonaro and seven others had taken part in an “armed criminal association” that sought to “violently overthrow the democratic order.”

The proceedings mark the first trial of a former Brazilian president on coup charges.

Case stokes divison

Bolsonaro is currently under house arrest, with Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes declaring him a “flight risk” late last month.

He remains a popular political figure in Brazil. On Sunday, tens of thousands of Bolsonaro’s supporters rallied in cities across the country.

Thousands of Bolsonaro’s supporters rallied in Sao Paulo on Sunday
© Nelson Almeida/AFP/Getty Images

 

The case against Bolsonaro has also inflamed tensions between the US and Brazil, with US President Donald Trump denouncing the case against his Brazilian ally as a “witch hunt” and imposing a 50% tariff on various Brazilian goods.

Brazilian President Lula has condemned Trump’s interference in the Brazilian legal system, calling it “unacceptable” and an attempt to undermine Brazil’s sovereignty.

Trump has faced similar charges of attempting to overturn election results after his own failed 2020 presidential bid.

Bolsonaro’s supporters see the charges against him as politicized and have welcomed Trump’s support.

Trump on Thursday called Bolsonaro’s coup conviction “very surprising.”

Edited by: Louis Oelofse

Author: Wesley Rahn (with AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters), Saim Dušan Inayatullah

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Police bust syndicate behind nude photo blackmail in Lagos

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Men of the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Lagos, have apprehended three suspects who allegedly run a cyber blackmail and extortion scheme in the state.

According to the spokesperson of the unit, DSP Ovie Ewhubare, the suspects get a hold of their victims explicit photos and then threaten to release them if a ransom is not paid.

He said that the suspects, two males and a female, were apprehended after a petition was filed by a complainant who reported being repeatedly threatened by unknown individuals demanding money.

“The complainant received several phone calls in which the callers threatened to release her nude photographs to the public if she failed to pay them. Acting out of fear and emotional distress, she transferred money to the suspects.

The situation escalated when the suspects demanded an additional N10 million, prompting her to formally petition the police,” he said

The police imagemaker state dthat upon receipt of the complaint, the Commissioner of Police, PSFU, Mr Kayode Ojapinwa, ordered the immediate deployment of operatives to investigate the matter.

“The investigation led to the arrest of the three suspects. Investigations revealed that one of the suspects gained unlawful access to the complainant’s mobile device and fraudulently transferred her nude photographs to his own device. Further findings indicated that he conspired with the other suspects and other accomplices currently at large to demand and receive money from the complainant in several tranches,” he said

According to him, the suspects are currently in police custody and are expected to be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction.

The image maker said that investigations were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate and to recover all proceeds of the alleged crime.

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Catholic Priest Collapses And D!es In Front Of Congregation While Walking To Tabernacle To Return Holy Communion

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A Catholic priest has tragically passed away after suddenly collapsing in front of the congregation during Sunday mass.

The tragic incident took place last Sunday, February 1 in Wiesmath in the district of Wiener Neustadt, Austria.

Shortly after administering Holy Communion, 59-year-old priest Raimund Beisteiner was about to return the host to the tabernacle when he “suddenly” collapsed, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Vienna.

“Despite immediate professional assistance, he di£d in the church,” the statement said.

The mayor of Wiesmath, Erich Rasner, had also attended the Mass with many other believers and witnessed the dramatic scenes.

The shock in Wiesmath at the loss of the popular priest is great. Beisteiner had shaped the spiritual life of the parish for almost two decades and was highly regarded far beyond the community.

Rasner praised him as an “extremely conscientious, sensitive priest” and also emphasized the personal loss of a friendship that had grown over many years.

A prayer service was organized at short notice for the late priest. It was attended by numerous priests from the deanery as well as Archbishop Josef Grünwidl.

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Nollywood Actress, Angela Okorie Allegedly Re-Arrested Over Alleged Refusal To Pay Lawyer Who Secured Her Bail (Video)

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Angela Okorie, the Nigerian actress, has reportedly been re-arrested over allegations that she refused to pay the lawyer who secured her bail from Suleja Prison.

Angela was re-arrested at the Suleja prison on Tuesday, immediately she was released on bail.

This came less than an hour after actor Stanley Ontop raised the alarm over an alleged plan to re-arrest the actress after release on Tuesday.

Speaking in a video on Instagram, actress Doris Ogala who said she is already on her way to the police station, stated that the actress was re-arrested by an unnamed Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, for refusing to pay the N5 million agreed fee to secure her bail.

Doris said; “You see, one thing is for someone to cut their clothes according to their size. Angela has been arrested again. As a matter of fact, I’m going to the police station now. You see, when Angela was arrested by Mercy, she called a friend of her or village person. I don’t know how they relate. To help her get a SAN.

“And the SAN charged them N5 million. I think the SAN was the one who even facilitated the bail and all that. Now when Angela knew that they have granted her bail according to the lady, Angela started saying that she didn’t ask her to get a SAN and she wasn’t going to pay the money, and meanwhile this lady has deposited.”

Recall that Angela, who was granted bail on Friday after her arrest by Mercy Johnson over alleged defamation, regained her freedom few minutes ago after perfecting her bail conditions.

Watch Doris Ogala speak

 

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