RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A panel of Brazil ’s Supreme Court reunited on Wednesday for a second day of proceedings to decide whether former Jair Bolsonaro and several close allies will stand trial on five counts, including attempting to stage a coup.
The five Supreme Court justices began the session at around 9:50 a.m. (1250 GMT) in the capital, Brasilia.
As well as charges of participating in a coup, Bolsonaro and his alleged accomplices stand accused of involvement in an armed criminal organization, attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, damage characterized by violence and a serious threat against the state’s assets, and deterioration of listed heritage.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet on Tuesday said that those facing the charges sought to maintain Bolsonaro in power “at all costs,” in a multi-step scheme that accelerated after the far-right politician lost to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2022 election.
Like in his February indictment of Bolsonaro and 33 others, Gonet said that part of the putsch plot included a plan to kill Lula and Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who were put under surveillance by the alleged conspirators. The plan did not go ahead only because at the last minute the accused failed to get the Army’s commander on board, Gonet said.
“Frustration overwhelmed the members of the criminal organization who, however, did not give up on the violent seizure of power, not even after the elected president of the Republic was sworn in,” Gonet said.
That was a reference to the Jan. 8, 2023 riot, when Bolsonaro’s die-hard supporters stormed and trashed the Supreme Court, presidential palace and Congress in Brasilia a week after Lula took office. Gonet said the rampage was a last-ditch attempt to hold onto power.
The former president has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and says that he’s being politically persecuted.
Local newspaper O Globo reported that Bolsonaro would not be present at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, unlike the previous day.
Speaking on Tuesday morning to journalists at Brasilia’s airport, Bolsonaro again denied the accusations.
“I’m fine. I always hope for justice. Nothing is substantiated in the accusations, made in a biased way, by the Federal Police,” Bolsonaro said, referring to the 884-page report filed in late November.
Under Brazilian law, a coup conviction alone carries a sentence of up to 12 years, but when combined with the other charges, it could result in a sentence of decades behind bars.
Observers say that it’s likely that the charges will be accepted.
The Supreme Court is analyzing whether to accept the charges against eight of the 34 people accused by Gonet of participating in the coup plan.
As well as Bolsonaro, the court will vote on the accusations faced by his running mate during the 2022 election and former Defense Minister Walter Braga Netto, ex-Justice Minister Anderson Torres and his aide-de-camp Mauro Cid, among others. The court will decide on the fate of the others at a later date.
