 "Jair Bolsonaro goes on trial in a big test for Brazil, Lula")
If convicted, Bolsonaro will be looking at 40 years in prison for conspiring to stay in power during the 2022 presidential election that he lost to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro’s fate hangs in the balance as the Supreme Court will start pronouncing the judgment on his coup-plotting trial on Tuesday, a case that has put the Latin American powerhouse in US President Donald Trump’s sights.
If convicted, Bolsonaro will be looking at 40 years in prison for conspiring to stay in power during the 2022 presidential election that he lost to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. A guilty verdict could also scupper his hopes of making a Trump-style comeback from a criminal conviction to the country’s top job.
The case is one-of-a-kind in Brazil, as Bolsonaro is the first president to stand on trial on coup charges. The 70-year-old single-term president, who is under house arrest, will not be in court for the verdict, his lawyer Celso Vilardi told AFP on Monday.
What is the case?
Bolsonaro is accused of leading an attempt to stage a coup to remove Lula’s democratically elected government after losing his reelection bid in 2022. There are multiple pieces of evidence to be analysed, including an unsigned document that sought to invalidate the election and his alleged push for supporters to destroy government buildings in Brasilia on January 8, 2023.
The former president has also allegedly led a group that is associated with committing violent crimes in Brazil. Prosecutors have claimed that the group threatened to use weapons to kill Alexandre de Moraes, Bolsonaro’s longtime nemesis.
They have also accused Bolsonaro of being aware of a plan to assassinate Lula, his vice president, Geraldo Alckmin and Moraes.
Bolsonaro and the group were charged with trying to suppress Brazil’s democracy in multiple ways. He is also accused of leading the thousands who trashed the presidential palace, the Supreme Court, and parts of Congress on Jan. 8, 2023. Damage was estimated at 20 million Brazilian reais (about $3.7 million).
Who are the co-accused?
The co-accused in Bolsonaro’s coup trial are:
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Former aide-de-camp Mauro Cid
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Former Intelligence Agency Director Alexandre Ramagem
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Former Navy commander Almir Garnier
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Former Justice Minister Anderson Torres
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Former Institutional Security Cabinet Chief Augusto Heleno
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Former President Jair Bolsonaro
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Former Defence Minister Paulo Sérgio Nogueira
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Former Chief of Staff Walter Braga Netto
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