Brazil’s former president suspected of coup attempt, Supreme Court requests trial

On Wednesday, March 26, a panel of five judges from Brazil’s Supreme Court unanimously accepted the charges brought by the prosecution against former President Jair Bolsonaro, ordering him to stand trial. The prosecution accuses him of attempting to overturn the election results following his defeat in the 2022 elections and allegedly plotting a coup.

According to reports from the Associated Press, Brazil’s Attorney General Paulo Gonet has accused Bolsonaro and 33 others of attempting a coup, including a plan to assassinate his successor and current President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as well as targeting a Supreme Court justice.

The judges stated that seven close allies of the former president should also stand trial on five charges, including attempting a coup, participating in armed criminal organizations, seeking to violently subvert democratic rule of law, causing damage to national assets through violence and serious threats, and damaging protected heritage.

Bolsonaro, who served as Brazil’s president from 2019 to 2022, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, claiming to be a victim of political persecution. Bolsonaro’s lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comments from the Associated Press.

If Bolsonaro is found guilty in the upcoming court proceedings later this year, he could face a lengthy prison sentence. Under Brazilian law, the crime of coup plotting carries a maximum sentence of 12 years. With multiple charges combined, it could lead to decades of imprisonment.

In a press conference held in Brasília after the Supreme Court’s decision, Bolsonaro remarked that the accusations against him seemed personally targeted and unfounded. He stated, “A coup requires the military, guns, and a leader, but they have not yet found who this leader is.”

On Wednesday, Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the case, played shocking footage of Bolsonaro supporters storming government buildings just one week after President Lula took office in January 2023.

The decision announced on Wednesday, about a month after the charges were brought by Brazil’s highest prosecutor, shows the swift actions taken by the Brazilian courts and investigators against Bolsonaro. It may potentially bring an end to the former president’s political career and divide the right-wing political force he has built over the past decade.

Despite being banned from holding public office until 2030 by the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court due to attempting to undermine the national voting system, Bolsonaro remains adamant that he will run for president again next year.