Brazil, Brazil (AP) – Brazilian prosecutors argued it on Tuesday Former President Jia Bolsonaro And his allies plotted as they overthrow democracy through a series of interconnected events aimed at keeping him illegal as the former leader’s coup trial entered the verdict stage.
The former president has been accused of conspiring to hold a coup to maintain power despite losing the 2022 presidential election to the current president. Luis Inacio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro Deny fraudand repeatedly said the trial was a politically motivated attack on false accusations.
The Brazilian Supreme Court holds the trial ruling and ruling stages of those indicted on suspicion of a coup to inaugurate former Brazilian president, Jia Bolsonaro, after losing the 2022 election in Brazil on Tuesday, September 2, 2022.
Prosecutor Paulo Gonette pointed to evidence that after the October 2022 vote, Bolsonaro summoned top cabinets and military officials to discuss issuing an emergency order to halt the election results by suspending the powers of the election court and investigating alleged voting fraud.
“When the president of the Republic and the Minister of Defense present documents summoning military leaders to formalise the coup, it does not require extraordinary intellectual effort to recognize that the criminal process is already underway,” Gonette said.
Gonette argued that the “shocking and harsh picture” outlined in the indictment cannot be understood as “a story of isolated facts.” He said plans to keep Bolsonaro upheld power include several other factors, including his previous efforts to raise doubts about Brazil’s electronic voting system on January 8, 2023, after Lula took office, and embrace the riots of Bolsonaro supporters.
Prosecutors also claim that the plot is included. Plan to kill Lula and one of the Supreme Court’s Justice.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre des Moraes will speak at the ruling and ruling stages of those indicted on suspicion of a coup to inaugurate former president of Brazil, after the loss of the 2022 election in Brazil, before losing to former Brazilian president Jia Bolsonaro on September 2, 2025.
“As explained both here and abroad, authoritarian impulses are reinforced if attempts of this nature are not criminally suppressed. This therefore promotes fundamentalism and puts a civilized way of life at risk,” Gonette said.
Bolsonaro’s defense argued that the prosecution’s case was undermined by the fact that no emergency order was issued and the fact that the former leader allowed the transition to Lula.
Bolsonaro is already banned from elections
That’s what Bolsonaro is Under house arrest He was not present in court on Tuesday. His lawyer, Celso Vilardi, told journalists that it was for Bolsonaro’s health.
“I’m following (the trial),” Bolsonaro said in video footage shared on social media, appearing to be rising and falling through his fortune in Brasilia.
The verdict and sentence phase of the trial began around 9am local time on Tuesday. The lawyers from Bolsonaro’s four close allies appeared on the floor and then wrapped up just before 6pm.
court panel We scheduled sessions ranging from five days to September 12th to determine whether Bolsonaro was guilty. Bolsonaro’s lawyers are expected to speak Wednesday morning.
“History tells us that immunity, omission, and coronavirus are not options for peace,” Justice Alexandre des Moraise said the trial will begin.
De Moraise, who presides over the case and is considered Bolsonaro’s enemy, said the role of the Supreme Court is to impartially determine that it “ignors internal or external pressures, regardless of threats or legal action.”
The journalist works for the Supreme Court before the verdict and ruling stages of those charged with a coup to inaugurate former Brazilian president Jia Bolsonaro on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, following the 2022 election loss in Brazil, Brazil.
It was a direct swipe from President Donald Trump. Those who directly linked 50% tariffs About Brazilian goods imported into the judicial situation of his allies. Trump called the lawsuit a “witch hunt” against his political enemy, sparking a nationalist response from many Brazilian politicians.
On Monday night, Bolsonaro’s sons Carlos and Jae Rennan prayed alongside other supporters during a vigil in an apartment complex where he is under house arrest.
Outside the house, demonstrators against the former president exploded a giant balloon depicting Bolsonaro dressed in prison clothes, screaming with Bolsonaro supporters. Police intervened and separated two groups.
The trial debate concluded in August
The former leader has been charged with five counts. They attempted two counts, including performances of coups, involvement in armed criminal organizations, the fierce abolition of the democratic rule of law, and the destruction of national property.
Convicted on the charges of a coup plot alone will result in a maximum of 12 years in prison.
Bolsonaro’s seven other close allies are being tested alongside the former president. Walter Braga Netthis former running mate and defense minister, and another former defense minister, Paulo Sergio Nogira.
Brazil’s top election courts already have Bolsonaro bans election run Until 2030, when he abused power during his tenure and asked unfounded questions about the country’s electronic voting system.
The protesters will hold an inflatable doll depicting former Brazilian president Jia Bolsonaro wearing prisoner outfits during a protest calling for his imprisonment outside house arrest in Brazilia, Brazil on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
At the coup trial, prosecutors presented handwritten notes, digital files, message exchanges, and spreadsheets that they said were evidence of a conspiracy to keep Bolsonaro in power.
Prosecutors presented the case in July, and National Defense concluded the debate in mid-August.
Shortly afterwards, police accused Bolsonaro and his son Eduardo of obstructing justice, the former president said I wanted to escape to Argentina Last year, he called for political asylum.
“It will break through the tradition of military coups.”
Eduardo Bolsonaro I moved to the US Earlier this year, he built a seat in Brazil’s parliament and called for sanctions against de Moores. Trump administration imposed sanctions At De Moraes in late July, freezes assets he may have in the US
Authorities view Bolsonaro as a flight risk. The Supreme Court ordered further safety measures until it reached the verdict and ruling stage. On Saturday, de Moraes allowed inspections of vehicles leaving Bolsonaro’s residence, requiring in-person monitoring of the area surrounding his home.
Lula told journalists in Sao Paulo on Tuesday that he hopes the court will rule based on case records. “No one judges personally,” he said.
The left-wing president also said that Trump’s administration is interfering with Brazil’s judicial system. “It’s incredible,” he said. “I’m going to say that again. Trump was not chosen as the emperor of the world.”
Experts have it Bolsonaro’s trial was labelled “historical” He emphasized that this is the first time a senior official has been put on criminal trial after being accused of an attempted coup.
The military dictatorship ruled Brazil for more than 20 years between 1964 and 1985. This is the time when Bolsonaro expressed his nostalgia. The government passed a radical amnesty law in 1979, with Brazil never prosecuting any of the people responsible for the widespread human rights violations of that era.
Brazil’s violent past Not fully considered yethowever, the trial shows a historical departure from immunity, said Lucas Figue Ailea, author of several books on the country’s latest dictatorship.
“History will know if it’s 100% successful, but what we’re seeing today is a breaking movement in the tradition of military coups,” he said.
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AP photographer Luis Nova contributed to this report.
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