Supreme Court Drama: Bolsonaro Facing Coup Charges
In a high-stakes legal battle, two out of five Supreme Court justices have made a bold move by convicting former Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, of plotting a coup.
However, the fate of Bolsonaro hangs in the balance as he will need at least one more justice to find him guilty for the conviction to stick. The ex-leader vehemently denies all allegations against him.
The first justice to cast the decisive vote, Alexandre de Moraes, left no room for doubt as he declared a clear attempt at a coup following Bolsonaro’s defeat in the 2022 presidential election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Following suit, the second justice, Flávio Dino, also found Bolsonaro guilty on all five charges brought against him. The dramatic trial is set to continue on Wednesday.
As the clock ticks to 09:00 local time (12:00 GMT), all eyes are on Justice Luiz Fux, who holds the pivotal vote that could seal Bolsonaro’s fate.
If Justice Fux also delivers a guilty verdict on all charges, the majority needed to convict the former president will have been achieved.
If Bolsonaro is convicted, the consequences could be dire, with a potential sentence of over 40 years behind bars for the leader who governed Brazil from January 2019 to December 2022.
With scathing remarks from the two justices who have already cast their votes, the heat is on for Bolsonaro.
Justice Moraes accused Bolsonaro of leading a “criminal organization” allegedly involved in the attempted coup.
Despite Bolsonaro’s lawyer, Celso Vilardi, disagreeing with the justices’ stance, he pledged to respect the Supreme Court’s decision.
The former president and his seven co-defendants, including top military officials, are accused of trying to thwart President-elect Lula from assuming office, a charge they vehemently deny.
During the trial, Justice Moraes presented evidence of a sinister plot to assassinate Lula, his running mate, and even himself.
Highlighting a document detailing the plan dubbed Operation Green and Yellow Dagger, Moraes pointed out that parts of the scheme were traced back to the Brazilian government headquarters and the presidential palace.
Despite the defendants’ failure to garner enough military support for the plan, Moraes argued that their actions led to the violent storming of key government buildings by Bolsonaro supporters.
Painting a grim picture, Moraes warned of the looming threat of authoritarianism, citing the dangerous ambitions of a political group unwilling to accept electoral defeat.
As Bolsonaro remains absent from the courtroom due to health issues stemming from a past stabbing incident, his legal team insists he is following proceedings from home under house arrest.
Amidst the trial’s intense proceedings, Brazil finds itself deeply divided, with Bolsonaro’s supporters crying foul over alleged bias within the judicial panel handling the case.
On the other side, critics of Bolsonaro stress the importance of defending Brazil’s democratic institutions against any threats, drawing on the nation’s tumultuous history with military rule.
