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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Brazil braces for Bolsonaro's day in court as ex-president testifies over ‘coup plot'
Brazil's former president, Jair Bolsonaro, will finally find himself in the dock this week, accused of masterminding an armed far-right conspiracy to seize power after losing the 2022 presidential election. The 70-year-old paratrooper turned populist, who governed from 2019 until 2023, is scheduled to be interrogated by the supreme court as it seeks to untangle what federal police claim was a sprawling three-year plot to vandalize one of the world's largest democracies. Seven other alleged co-conspirators will also be questioned, including four former Bolsonaro ministers – three of them army generals; the ex-commander of the navy; and the ex-president's former right-hand man, Lt Col Mauro Cid. Bolsonaro's day in court, which is expected to come on Tuesday, is a milestone moment for a country that escaped from two decades of military dictatorship in 1985 but appears to have come perilously close to a return to authoritarian rule after the veteran leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva beat Bolsonaro in the 2022 presidential election. Related: Bombshell police report details alleged Bolsonaro plot to stage rightwing coup 'This is the first time in Brazilian history that there is the prospect of the perpetrators of a coup being brought to justice,' said Bernardo Mello Franco, a political writer for the newspaper O Globo. 'Brazilian history is full of military coups and counter-coups … but throughout history the characters [behind them] have always gone unpunished, either because they succeeded in pulling off the coup and seized control of the judiciary, or because they were granted amnesty, which is what happened after the [1964-85] military dictatorship,' Mello Franco added. Bolsonaro is accused of trying – but ultimately failing – to overturn Lula's victory through a murderous plot, which allegedly involved assassinating or arresting key political rivals including the president-elect; his vice-president-elect, Geraldo Alckmin; and the supreme court justice Alexandre de Moraes. He has repeatedly denied the charges. The prospect of watching Bolsonaro go on trial has thrilled his many progressive detractors who, in addition to the alleged coup attempt, blame the ex-president for rampant Amazon devastation; historic attacks on the rights of Indigenous peoples, human rights and Brazilian culture; and a calamitous and anti-scientific response to a Covid pandemic that killed hundreds of thousands of people. There is broad consensus among experts that Bolsonaro will be found guilty and convicted later this year, meaning the former congressman could face political oblivion and a decades-long prison sentence. 'Bolsonaro himself believes he has already been convicted by the supreme court – he's said it on numerous occasions,' Mello Franco said. 'Those who understand the supreme court also believe he'll be found guilty. There's a great deal of evidence against him.' Last week the former head of the air force, Brig Carlos de Almeida Baptista Júnior, gave damning evidence, telling the supreme court that at one point in 2022 the former head of the army, Gen Marco Antônio Freire Gomes, threatened to arrest Bolsonaro if he sought any kind of 'institutional rupture'. But major questions remain over whether, if convicted, Bolsonaro will ever actually serve time. Already one rightwing presidential hopeful in the 2026 election, Romeu Zema, has pledged to pardon Bolsonaro if he wins power. Polls suggest that if Lula seeks re-election he will face a tough battle against whichever rightwing candidate inherits the votes of the still-popular Bolsonaro, who has already been barred from running because of his attacks on Brazil's electronic voting system. Potential heirs include one of Bolsonaro's politician sons, Eduardo or Flávio Bolsonaro; his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro; or the conservative governors of the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Paraná: Tarcísio de Freitas, Zema and Ratinho Júnior, respectively. There are also doubts over how Bolsonaro, a notoriously rambunctious Trump-inspired populist with a huge social media following, will behave when his day in court arrives. On the eve of his appearance, Bolsonaro promised he would not use the hearing to 'lacrar', a Portuguese word which roughly translates as 'take the piss', 'troll' or 'drop the mic'. But the ex-president said his 'inquisition' would be 'worth watching' and urged followers to tune in to see that 'truth' was on his side. 'It will be broadcast live, which is bonkers,' Mello Franco said of the politically charged session, declining to forecast how Bolsonaro might behave in the dock. 'The only predictable thing about Bolsonaro is that he'll be unpredictable.'
Washington Post
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Brazil confronts military officers accused of plotting a coup in historic trial
SAO PAULO — When Lt. Col. Mauro Cid arrived at Brazil's Supreme Court on Tuesday to testify against his onetime ally, former Defense Minister Gen. Walter Braga Netto, he did not salute the senior officer. It was a departure from military protocol that underscored how the country's once hugely popular military has been divided and roiled by scandal as Brazil tries an explosive case in which top military officers are accused of helping former President Jair Bolsonaro attempt a coup to remain in power after losing an election.
Associated Press
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Brazil confronts military officers accused of plotting a coup in historic trial
SAO PAULO (AP) — When Lt. Col. Mauro Cid arrived at Brazil's Supreme Court on Tuesday to testify against his onetime ally, former Defense Minister Gen. Walter Braga Netto, he did not salute the senior officer. It was a departure from military protocol that underscored how the country's once hugely popular military has been divided and roiled by scandal as Brazil tries an explosive case in which top military officers are accused of helping former President Jair Bolsonaro attempt a coup to remain in power after losing an election. Analysts said that the two men's appearance in a civilian court marked a historic departure from the impunity senior military officers have enjoyed since the country underwent two decades of military rule. 'Putting a colonel up against a general levels the playing the field and signals that for the justice system, all defendants are equal,' said Lucas Figueiredo, the author of several books about Brazil's dictatorship. 'The truth will prevail.' Accusations of a coup Cid, a former aide-de-camp to Bolsonaro who signed a plea bargain to cooperate with authorities, has already testified that Braga Netto took part in a meeting in November 2022 during which military officials discussed plans to stop current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office. Braga Netto is a close ally of Bolsonaro who also served as the former president's chief-of-staff and his 2022 running mate. The officers are standing trial alongside Bolsonaro, several other officers, and a few civilians. They face five charges including attempting to stage a coup, involvement in an armed criminal organization, attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, aggravated damage and degredation of listed heritage. A verdict is expected by the end of 2025. Cid says that in the days after Bolsonaro lost to Lula, he was called to Braga Netto's office and handed a bag of cash to distribute to Bolsonaro supporters camped outside the military headquarters. Braga Netto denies the account and calls Cid a traitor. The two men were summoned to the Supreme Court on Tuesday for a confrontation, a step in Brazilian legal procedure in which the judge and both parties can interrogate witnesses about discrepancies in their testimony. The examination was conducted behind closed doors by order of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is chair the coup probe and did not provide more details about the decision. Brazilian law allows closed court hearings when matters of national security or deeply personal matters are involved. Braga Netto arrived at the court in the country's capital of Brasilia from his jail cell in Rio de Janeiro, where he has been detained for obstructing investigations since December. A staffer of the Supreme Court who observed the testimony told The Associated Press that both Braga Netto and Cid mostly stuck to their contradictory versions of events and avoided even looking at each other despite sitting opposite one another. The staffer spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to brief the media. In a heated exchange, the former defense minister shot back that Cid was a 'liar,' said Braga Netto's lawyer, José Luis Oliveira. Moraes' decision to call both men for questioning at the same time signaled the judge's lack of confidence in their testimonies, legal experts and officials said. Brazil's military has long enjoyed impunity The fact that the two men appeared in a civilian court at all was a break from decades of impunity enjoyed by Brazilian senior officers. No one in Brazil has been sent to jail on charges related to the 1964-1985 military dictatorship, unlike in neighboring countries Argentina and Chile. And Bolsonaro, despite facing a tangle of serious legal charges, remains the face of the country's opposition to President Lula. The last Brazilian general to be jailed was Argemiro de Assis Brasil, who was arrested in 1964 for opposing the coup d'etat in which the military seized power. Since the beginning of the proceedings, members of the military establishment have claimed the Supreme Court trial is an embarrassment to the armed forces. 'Such questioning doesn't help the armed forces,' said Gen. Roberto Peternelli, a former congressman affiliated with Bolsonaro's Liberal Party. 'In my perspective, it ends up harming the country.' The accused sought to avoid civilian court by seeking a trial at the country's Superior Military Tribunal, where legal experts say they were more likely to find sympathy. The military court, which handles only a few dozen cases a year, refused the cases. 'Members of the military court understood that, though perpetrated by military personnel, these are not military crimes,' said Alexandre Knopfholz, a law professor at UniCuritiba. Millions of Brazilians have seen the case play out on TV over the past two years, from raids in which federal police arrest suspects and seize documents to court testimony. Still, some experts doubt that Cid and Braga Netto would end up serving out full sentences behind bars, even if they are found guilty. 'This is the middle of the probe. We should not forget that every coup-mongering military man in Brazilian history was pardoned,' said Fabio Victor, author of a book about the links between the military and politics after Brazil's transition to democracy in 1985. But he acknowledged: 'The fact that generals have become defendants for an attempted coup does show some evolution.' ____ Hughes reported from Rio de Janeiro.
The Independent
25-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Brazil confronts military officers accused of plotting a coup in historic trial
When Lt. Col. Mauro Cid arrived at Brazil 's Supreme Court on Tuesday to testify against his onetime ally, former Defense Minister Gen. Walter Braga Netto, he did not salute the senior officer. It was a departure from military protocol that underscored how the country's once hugely popular military has been divided and roiled by scandal as Brazil tries an explosive case in which top military officers are accused of helping former President Jair Bolsonaro attempt a coup to remain in power after losing an election. Analysts said that the two men's appearance in a civilian court marked a historic departure from the impunity senior military officers have enjoyed since the country underwent two decades of military rule. 'Putting a colonel up against a general levels the playing the field and signals that for the justice system, all defendants are equal,' said Lucas Figueiredo, the author of several books about Brazil's dictatorship. "The truth will prevail.' Accusations of a coup Cid, a former aide-de-camp to Bolsonaro who signed a plea bargain to cooperate with authorities, has already testified that Braga Netto took part in a meeting in November 2022 during which military officials discussed plans to stop current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office. Braga Netto is a close ally of Bolsonaro who also served as the former president's chief-of-staff and his 2022 running mate. The officers are standing trial alongside Bolsonaro, several other officers, and a few civilians. They face five charges including attempting to stage a coup, involvement in an armed criminal organization, attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, aggravated damage and degredation of listed heritage. A verdict is expected by the end of 2025. Cid says that in the days after Bolsonaro lost to Lula, he was called to Braga Netto's office and handed a bag of cash to distribute to Bolsonaro supporters camped outside the military headquarters. Braga Netto denies the account and calls Cid a traitor. The two men were summoned to the Supreme Court on Tuesday for a confrontation, a step in Brazilian legal procedure in which the judge and both parties can interrogate witnesses about discrepancies in their testimony. The examination was conducted behind closed doors by order of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is chair the coup probe and did not provide more details about the decision. Brazilian law allows closed court hearings when matters of national security or deeply personal matters are involved. Braga Netto arrived at the court in the country's capital of Brasilia from his jail cell in Rio de Janeiro, where he has been detained for obstructing investigations since December. A staffer of the Supreme Court who observed the testimony told The Associated Press that both Braga Netto and Cid mostly stuck to their contradictory versions of events and avoided even looking at each other despite sitting opposite one another. The staffer spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to brief the media. In a heated exchange, the former defense minister shot back that Cid was a 'liar,' said Braga Netto's lawyer, José Luis Oliveira. Moraes' decision to call both men for questioning at the same time signaled the judge's lack of confidence in their testimonies, legal experts and officials said. Brazil's military has long enjoyed impunity The fact that the two men appeared in a civilian court at all was a break from decades of impunity enjoyed by Brazilian senior officers. No one in Brazil has been sent to jail on charges related to the 1964-1985 military dictatorship, unlike in neighboring countries Argentina and Chile. And Bolsonaro, despite facing a tangle of serious legal charges, remains the face of the country's opposition to President Lula. The last Brazilian general to be jailed was Argemiro de Assis Brasil, who was arrested in 1964 for opposing the coup d'etat in which the military seized power. Since the beginning of the proceedings, members of the military establishment have claimed the Supreme Court trial is an embarrassment to the armed forces. 'Such questioning doesn't help the armed forces,' said Gen. Roberto Peternelli, a former congressman affiliated with Bolsonaro's Liberal Party. 'In my perspective, it ends up harming the country.' The accused sought to avoid civilian court by seeking a trial at the country's Superior Military Tribunal, where legal experts say they were more likely to find sympathy. The military court, which handles only a few dozen cases a year, refused the cases. 'Members of the military court understood that, though perpetrated by military personnel, these are not military crimes,' said Alexandre Knopfholz, a law professor at UniCuritiba. Millions of Brazilians have seen the case play out on TV over the past two years, from raids in which federal police arrest suspects and seize documents to court testimony. Still, some experts doubt that Cid and Braga Netto would end up serving out full sentences behind bars, even if they are found guilty. 'This is the middle of the probe. We should not forget that every coup-mongering military man in Brazilian history was pardoned,' said Fabio Victor, author of a book about the links between the military and politics after Brazil's transition to democracy in 1985. But he acknowledged: 'The fact that generals have become defendants for an attempted coup does show some evolution.' ____ Hughes reported from Rio de Janeiro.
Al Jazeera
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Brazil's Bolsonaro testifies before Supreme Court over alleged coup plan
Brazil's far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, testifying for the first time before the nation's Supreme Court, has denied involvement in an alleged coup plot to remain in power and overturn the 2022 election result that he lost to current leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro, 70, and seven of his close allies were questioned by a panel of top judges on Tuesday as part of a trial over allegations that they devised a multi-step scheme to keep Bolsonaro in office despite his defeat to Lula. Bolsonaro and his co-defendants risk prison sentences of up to 40 years in a trial dubbed 'historic' – the first ever for an attempted coup under a democratic government in Brazil. 'That's not the case, your honour,' Bolsonaro replied on Tuesday when asked by Judge Alexandre de Moraes – an arch political foe – about 'the truthfulness' of the accusations against him. 'There was never any talk of a coup. A coup is an abominable thing … Brazil couldn't go through an experience like that. And there was never even the possibility of a coup in my government,' Bolsonaro claimed. The plot only failed, the charge sheet says, due to a clear lack of military backing. Bolsonaro, a former military officer himself. who has been known to express nostalgia for the country's past military dictatorship, openly defied Brazil's judicial system during his 2019-2022 term in office. On Monday, Bolsonaro's former right-hand man Mauro Cid – a co-defendant who has turned state's witness – told the court Bolsonaro had 'received and read' a draft decree for the declaration of a state of emergency. He then 'edited' the document, which would have paved the way for measures to 'redo the election' and also envisaged the imprisonment of top personalities including Moraes, said Cid. Cid also testified that he had received cash in a wine crate from Bolsonaro's former running mate and Defence Minister Walter Braga Netto that investigators say was earmarked to finance an operation by special troops to kill Lula, his Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Moraes. Apart from Cid, the other co-defendants are four ex-ministers and the former heads of Brazil's navy and intelligence agency. Most who have taken the stand so far have rejected the bulk of the accusations in the charge sheet. The defendants are standing trial on five counts: attempting to stage a coup, involvement in an armed criminal organisation, attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, aggravated damage and deterioration of listed heritage. A coup conviction carries a sentence of up to 12 years. When combined with the other charges, the accused could be sentenced to up to 40 years behind bars. Two former army commanders have claimed Bolsonaro hosted a meeting where the declaration of a state of emergency was discussed as a means of overturning Lula's election victory. Bolsonaro has denied all the charges, saying he is the target of political persecution. He has already been banned in a separate court ruling from running in elections until 2030 over abuse of power while in office and casting unfounded doubts on the country's electronic voting system. However, he is still hoping to run in the 2026 presidential elections. 'They have nothing to convict me; my conscience is clear,' the former leader told reporters on Monday. Almir Garnier, who was Brazilian Navy commander under Bolsonaro, denied the former president had discussed the declaration of a state of emergency with military officials. He also denied offering Bolsonaro any Navy troops. The Supreme Court headquarters in Brasilia was one of the targets of a rioting mob of supporters known as 'Bolsonaristas' – who raided government buildings in January 2023 as they urged the military to oust Lula, an insurrection attempt that evoked the supporters of Bolsonaro ally United States President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021. Bolsonaro was abroad in Florida at the time of this last-gasp effort to keep him in power after the alleged coup planning fizzled. But his opponents have accused him of fomenting the rioting. Judges will hear from 26 other defendants at a later date. The court has already heard from dozens of witnesses in hearings that began in mid-May.
