Jair Bolsonaro's defense seeks release and criminal review

Lawyers for former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have filed a request with the Supreme Federal Court (STF) seeking his release and a criminal review of his conviction for an attempted coup d'état. The defense argues that recent legal understandings and proceedings in the ‘Caso Master’—specifically regarding Justice Alexandre de Moraes—contradict the legal basis used in Bolsonaro's conviction.

Attorney Paulo Cunha Bueno stated that the positions expressed by Justice Moraes during recent sessions show an absolute contradiction with the decisions made in the criminal action against Bolsonaro, potentially violating the accusatory principle. The defense claims that while the Prosecutor General's Office had requested dismissal in certain instances, the rapporteur proceeded with investigations and legal actions that undermined the structure of the defense.

Simultaneously, the defense team has faced internal shifts. Attorney Marcelo Bessa of the Ávila de Bessa firm has left the legal team following disagreements over a request to suspend Bolsonaro's prison sentence. The team had briefly filed a request for suspension before withdrawing it less than three hours later, leading to a strategic reassessment. The case will now be handled by the lawyers who represented Bolsonaro during the original criminal proceedings.