Brazil’s Former President Jair Bolsonaro to Stand Trial for Alleged Coup Plot – Supreme Court Rules
Brazil’s Supreme Court has ruled that former President Jair Bolsonaro will stand trial for allegedly attempting to seize power through a military coup.
The decision leaves Bolsonaro, who governed from 2019 to 2022, facing a potential prison sentence of more than 40 years.
Seven of his close allies will also face prosecution for crimes including involvement in an armed criminal organization, coup d’état, and violently attempting to overthrow Brazilian democracy. They include:
- Former Defense Ministers Gen Walter Braga Netto and Gen Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira
- Former Navy Commander Adm Almir Garnier Santos
- Former Security Minister Anderson Torres
- Former Spy Chief Alexandre Ramagem
- Former Minister for Institutional Security Gen Augusto Heleno
- Former Assistant Lt Col Mauro Cid, who will receive a reduced sentence after reaching a plea deal
The group is accused of conspiring to keep Bolsonaro in power after he lost the 2022 presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
On Wednesday, five Supreme Court judges unanimously ruled that there was enough evidence to prosecute them, officially designating them as defendants.
The accusations relate to an alleged plan to stage a pro-Bolsonaro coup between the October 2022 election and the far-right riots in Brasília on 8 January 2023—one week after Lula’s inauguration.
The attacks were allegedly part of a last-ditch effort to return Bolsonaro to power by creating chaos that would justify military intervention.
“It was a veritable pitched battle … an extraordinarily violent attempted coup d’état,” said Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes, as he presented footage of rioters vandalizing the court and clashing with police.
