Congress passes bill to cut Bolsonaro term

BRAZIUS

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Senate this week passed a bill to slash the prison term of far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of plotting a coup after losing reelection to left-winger Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.Passed by the lower chamber last week, the bill now heads to Lula, whose expected veto could eventually be overridden by Congress.

Bolsonaro, 70, began a 27-year prison sentence last month, and under current rules was expected to serve at least eight years behind bars before becoming eligible for a looser regime.

The new legislation, which changes how sentences are calculated for certain crimes, could, however, see Bolsonaro serve a little over two years in prison.