Brazil’s Supreme Court Considers Trial for Bolsonaro Over Alleged Coup Attempt

BRASÍLIA, 25 March 2025 (BSS/AFP) – Brazil’s Supreme Court is set to decide on Tuesday whether former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro should stand trial for allegedly orchestrating an attempted coup following his defeat in the 2022 elections.

If convicted, the 70-year-old could face a prison sentence of up to 40 years.

According to the charge sheet, Bolsonaro is accused of leading a “criminal organisation” that sought to overthrow leftist president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who narrowly defeated him in the October 2022 election.

A week after Lula took office on 1 January 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed the presidential palace, Congress, and the Supreme Court, demanding military intervention to remove the newly elected president. The attack resulted in widespread destruction and international condemnation.

Five judges, including Bolsonaro’s long-time adversary Alexandre de Moraes, will assess whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed with a trial against the former president and seven alleged co-conspirators, among them former ministers and a navy commander. A ruling is expected between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Bolsonaro was formally charged in February with crimes such as the “attempted violent abolition of the democratic state of law” and involvement in an “armed criminal organisation.”

A ‘Political Trial’?

Prosecutors allege that Bolsonaro was aware of a scheme to invoke a state of emergency to “correct” the 2022 election outcome. Investigators have also examined claims that there were plans to assassinate President Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and Justice Moraes.

The purported plot ultimately failed due to a lack of support from Brazil’s military high command.

Bolsonaro, who was in the United States when his supporters rioted on 8 January 2023, denies any involvement in the disturbances.

“This is a political trial. The goal? To remove me from the political scene before next year’s elections,” Bolsonaro recently claimed, insisting he was the target of political persecution.

Although he has already been barred from public office until 2030 for casting doubt on Brazil’s electronic voting system, Bolsonaro remains optimistic that his ban will be overturned.

“For now, I am a candidate” for the 2026 presidential election, he declared earlier this month.

The former president has often drawn comparisons between his legal troubles and those of his political ally, Donald Trump, who was re-elected to the US presidency this year despite facing multiple legal battles. Like Bolsonaro’s supporters, Trump’s backers stormed the US Capitol in January 2021, challenging the results of the American election.

With Bolsonaro’s trial decision looming, security at the Supreme Court in Brasília has been heightened ahead of the hearing, scheduled to commence at 9:30 am local time (12:30 GMT).

Context:

Brazil’s Supreme Court has played a central role in prosecuting individuals linked to the 8 January 2023 insurrection, with hundreds already convicted for their involvement. The legal battle against Bolsonaro is expected to further deepen political divisions in a country still reeling from the violent aftermath of the disputed election.