Brazil’s Supreme Court has ruled that former President Jair Bolsonaro must stand trial for allegedly attempting to orchestrate a coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 election.
The decision, announced on Wednesday, could lead to a prison sentence of more than 40 years for the far-right leader.
The court also ordered seven of Bolsonaro’s close allies to face trial on charges including conspiracy, coup d’état, and attempting to overthrow Brazilian democracy.
Those implicated include former Defense Ministers Gen. Walter Braga Netto and Gen. Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira, ex-Navy Commander Adm. Almir Garnier Santos, former Security Minister Anderson Torres, former Intelligence Chief Alexandre Ramagem, ex-Minister for Institutional Security Gen. Augusto Heleno, and Bolsonaro’s former assistant Lt. Col. Mauro Cid.
The allegations stem from an alleged plot to disrupt the democratic transition between Bolsonaro and his successor, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, following the October 2022 election.
The Supreme Court found sufficient evidence that Bolsonaro and his associates attempted to incite a military intervention by spreading false claims of election fraud.
On January 8, 2023, just a week after Lula’s inauguration, Bolsonaro supporters stormed government buildings in Brasília, including the Supreme Court, Congress, and the presidential palace. Prosecutors argue that this was part of a coordinated effort to justify a coup.
“It was an extraordinarily violent attempted coup d’état,” said Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes, presenting video footage of rioters attacking security forces and vandalizing public institutions.
Authorities also uncovered an assassination plot targeting President Lula and Supreme Court justices, allegedly planned to create further political chaos.
Brazil’s Attorney General Paulo Gonet described the coup attempt as a “terrifying operation” that sought to destabilize the government through violence.
In response to the ruling, Bolsonaro claimed he was a victim of political persecution aimed at silencing the right-wing opposition.
“Those in power want to ensure I spend the rest of my life in prison so I can never run for president again,” Bolsonaro wrote in a statement.