The United States government on Monday imposed additional sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and his wife, Viviane Barci, for what it called the “unjust” conviction of the country’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro, over a failed military coup.

The decision was announced in a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stating that Mr Moraes was responsible for weaponising the Supreme Court against Mr Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to 27 years‘ imprisonment for his attempt to overturn the 2022 presidential election.

Subsequently, Mr Rubio stated that the sanctions earlier imposed on Mr Moraes alone last month would now be extended to include his wife, Barci, and their company, Lex Institute.

“Today, the United States is sanctioning enablers of Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, to include Moraes’ wife, Viviane Barci de Moraes, and their holding company, the Lex Institute,” the statement said.

The statement added, “Moraes was designated on July 30 for serious human rights abuse. He has used his position to weaponize courts, authorize arbitrary pretrial detentions, and suppress freedom of expression.”

The decision came almost two weeks after the Supreme Court in Brazil, in a 4-1 decision, voted to sentence Mr Bolsonaro, a close ally of President Donald Trump, to 27 years and three months in prison for heading a failed coup and the plot to assassinate then President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to retain power.

Messrs Trump and Rubio wasted no time in condemning the decision in the aftermath of the country’s verdict, calling it “very surprising.” They added that “the case was very much like they tried to do with me. But they didn’t get away with it at all.”

Meanwhile, the Trump administration said the decision to extend the sanctions to Mr Moraes’ wife and Lex Institute was the latest in a series of steps being taken by the White House to hold him accountable for the prosecution of Mr Bolsonaro.