Lawmakers approve bill to cut Bolsonaro sentence

BRAZIL'S lower house of Congress approved a bill yesterday that could slash former president Jair Bolsonaro's prison sentence for plotting a coup, after efforts by a lawmaker to disrupt the proceedings sparked chaos in parliament.

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The far-right former leader has been serving a 27-year term since November after his conviction for a scheme to stop President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office after the 2022 elections.

Lawmakers had been discussing a bill that would significantly reduce sentences for several crimes, including attempting a coup d'etat - opening up the prospect that Bolsonaro, 70, could see his sentence cut to just over two years.

After a heated debate that saw one lawmaker forcibly removed by police, the lower house of Congress approved the bill yesterday. It still awaits Senate ratification before becoming law.

Bolsonaro's supporters in the conservative-majority Congress have for months weighed different options to ease his punishment, including a possible amnesty that fizzled out after countrywide protests.

After that failed, congressman Sostenes Cavalcante said, "the first step to achieving our goal will be the reduction of sentences."