The former Brazilian president says he has never violated democracy and will reject attempts at a coup as a “witch hunt.”
Brazilian prosecutors sought a conviction in the case of former far-right president, President Jia Bolsonaro.
“The evidence is clear. The defendant acted systematically through his mission and after his defeat in the polls, to incite a rebellion and instability in the Democratic rule of law,” Prosecutor Paulo Gonette said in a 517-page document released late Monday.
Bolsonaro has been accused of trying to overturn the 2022 election, when he was defeated by a left-wing rival.
“All charges are wrong. I have never violated democracy or the constitution,” Bolsonaro said hours before gonet filed the final allegation. He said the trial was a “witch hunt,” reflecting the terminology President Donald Trump used when he came to defend his South American allies last week.
Prosecutors accused Bolsonaro of leading an armed criminal organization to stage a coup, attempting to violently abolish the democratic rule of law, exacerbate the damages and deteriorate the listed legacy.
Defense will soon present the lawsuit. A committee of Supreme Court judges who then held a trial against the former president votes on whether to convict him or not. Experts hope that will happen later this year.
A coup conviction will cost up to 12 years in prison. Convictions for that and other charges could come decades behind.
The former president repeatedly denied the allegations, claiming that he was a target for political persecution.
Last week, Trump imposed a 50% import tax on Brazil, directly linking the tariffs to the Bolsonaro trial. The US President describes Bolsonaro as a friend.
Trump said Brazil is “doing terrible things with their treatment” for Bolsonaro.
Gonet officially indicted Bolsonaro in February in connection with the coup of 33 people after President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva took office.
Supporters of the former president stormed and looted national legislatures and other state agencies in January 2023 in order to refuse Lula’s victory. After being defeated a few weeks ago, Bolsonaro refused to publicly admit his loss.
Police accused Bolsonaro’s aides of trying to disrupt the transfer of power in order to trigger a military coup.
Before the election, Bolsonaro had proposed without evidence that the vote could be undermined by fraud.
In his submission, Gonette said Bolsonaro’s actions were “not limited to a passive attitude of resistance to defeat, but were conscious efforts to create an environment that encouraged violence and coups.”
He added, “The criminal organization has documented almost all actions mentioned in the prosecution through the exchange of recordings, handwritten notes, digital files, spreadsheets and electronic messages.”
Prosecutors are also seeking the convictions of several close allies in Bolsonaro, including his running mate in the 2022 election, his former defense minister Walter Braga Nett. Former Minister of Justice Anderson Torres. And his aide – Camp Mauro CID.
Brazil’s Supreme Court President, Judge Luis Roberto Barroso, said the US “sanctions” (referring to Trump’s tariffs) were based on an “inaccurate understanding” of the events.
“For those who have not overcome or remembered the dictatorship, it’s worth remembering: freedom, torture, forced disappearance, parliamentary closures, judge persecution. No one is persecuted in Brazil today,” Baroso said.
On Monday, senior US diplomat Darren Beatty denounced the Brazilian government for “attack” on Bolsonaro and freedom of expression.
“Attacks like this are dishonorable and well below the dignity of Brazil’s democratic tradition,” Beatty said in a social media post. “President Trump’s statement is clear. We’re watching closely.”
