Brazil Court Resists US Pressure as Bolsonaro Faces Verdict

Brazil’s Supreme Court on Tuesday declared it would not bow to pressure from Washington in deciding the fate of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, a known ally of Donald Trump, who is on trial for allegedly plotting a coup.

Presiding judge Alexandre Moraes opened a five-day process to pass judgment in the final stage of Bolsonaro’s trial, stating that the former president had aimed to install a “real dictatorship.”

Bolsonaro, 70, faces a potential prison sentence of 43 years if convicted of conspiring to cling to power after losing the 2022 election to leftist rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, now in office.

The trial has strained Brasília’s relations with President Trump, whose administration imposed a 50 percent tariff on some Brazilian exports, citing a “witch hunt” against his ally. Financial sanctions were also imposed on Moraes.

“The court will not yield to internal or external threats and coercion,” Moraes emphasised, pledging that it would remain “absolutely inflexible in defending national sovereignty.”

Bolsonaro and his seven co-accused, which include former ministers and generals, are expected to learn their fate by 12 September.

The trial’s final phase is staggered over five non-consecutive days, involving statements by Moraes and the other four judges, along with defence lawyers and prosecutors. A majority vote of three out of five judges will determine conviction, with appeals possible to the full Supreme Court. Security around the court has been heavily reinforced.

Apart from the lengthy prison sentence, a guilty verdict could also derail Bolsonaro’s hopes of a Trump-style political comeback, barring him from returning to the presidency.

The former army officer, currently under house arrest, did not attend Tuesday’s proceedings. His lawyer, Paulo Cunha Bueno, described Bolsonaro as feeling “weak.” The ex-president has had recurring health issues since being stabbed at a campaign rally in 2018.

The trial marks the first coup charge trial of a former Brazilian president. For many Brazilians, it is a test of democracy, 40 years after the military dictatorship ended, while others view it as a political show trial.

Prosecutors claim Bolsonaro led a “criminal organisation” seeking to reclaim power from Lula. Key allegations include:

The January 8 attack bore striking resemblance to 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol, both aiming to overturn a democratic election outcome.

Outside Bolsonaro’s house in a luxury gated community in Brasília, scuffles erupted between his supporters and detractors on Tuesday. Supporters attempted to remove a banner reading “Bolsonaro to jail”, held by demonstrators alongside a giant inflatable doll in prison attire.

The sentencing proceedings will continue on Wednesday, as Congress faces pressure from Bolsonaro allies to pass an amnesty law to prevent his imprisonment.