Prosecutor asks Brazil Supreme Court to find Bolsonaro guilty of coup
Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro is accused of seeking to overturn the 2022 election.
BRASILIA - A prosecutor asked Brazil's Supreme Court on July 15 to find ex-president Jair Bolsonaro guilty of plotting a coup, in closing arguments after a trial that saw US President Donald Trump try to intervene on behalf of his right-wing ally.
Bolsonaro is accused of seeking to overturn the 2022 election won by his left-wing opponent, current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The prosecution told the court that former army officer Bolsonaro and seven others were guilty of participating in 'armed criminal association' and had sought to 'violently overthrow the democratic order'.
After the defence presents its closing arguments, a five-justice panel will decide the fate of the ex-president. If found guilty, Bolsonaro and his co-defendants could face up to 40 years in prison.
Bolsonaro says he is the victim of a political persecution, echoing Mr Trump's defence when the US president faced criminal charges before his White House return.
'It's not about imprisoning me; they want to eliminate me,' he told news site Poder360 on July 15.
Prosecutors say Bolsonaro tried to overturn his 2022 loss in a plot that only failed because the military did not side with him.
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Violent supporters then rioted, rampaging through government buildings in the capital Brasilia in scenes that echoed the assault on the US Capitol by Mr Trump's supporters after the Republican lost to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.
The trial has attracted attention from Mr Trump, who returned to power in the 2024 election and continues to claim – despite this being rejected repeatedly by the courts – that he won in 2020.
Mr Trump has repeatedly called on social media for
Bolsonaro's trial to be stopped , accusing the authorities in Brazil of mounting a 'witch hunt' and a 'disgrace'.
On July 9, he took his campaign to extraordinary new levels by announcing plans to tariff Brazilian imports to the United States
at 50 per cent .
Unlike the tariffs Mr Trump is slapping on countries around much of the world, including top US allies, the measures against Brazil – which are set to take effect on Aug 1 – were announced in openly political terms.
Mr Trump cited 'Brazil's insidious attacks on Free Elections' among other issues, warning of further escalation if the country retaliated – something Mr Lula indicated would happen.
On July 12, Mr Trump reiterated his claim that Bolsonaro was being unfairly treated.
'They're treating President Bolsonaro very unfairly,' Mr Trump told reporters, calling him 'a good man'.
'I know the honest ones, and I know the crooked ones,' he added.
Mr Lula has hit back at Mr Trump's 'interference,' insisting that 'no one is above the law'. AFP
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