Jair Bolsonaro lawyers to present his defense during the coup d’etat

Jair Bolsonaro’s lawyers will present their defense arguments during his trial at the Supreme Court of Brasília on Wednesday.

The former Brazilian president ruled the country from January 2019 to December 2022 and is accused of having led an attempted coup after his defeat in the 2022 presidential election.

On Tuesday, the judge presiding over the trial alleged that Bolsonaro had tried to set up a “real dictatorship” after losing against his left rival, Luiz Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Bolsonaro denied the accusations and denounced the trial against him as a politically motivated “witch hunt”.

The former president was not present during the Tuesday session, which marked the start of the final phase of the trial.

The panel of five judges of the Supreme Court is expected to make a verdict by September 12. If he is found guilty, Bolsonaro could be sentenced to more than 40 years in prison.

His lawyer cited the health reasons for Bolsonaro’s decision to follow Tuesday’s procedures from his home in Brasília. The ex-70-year-old leader was stabbed on the campaign track in 2018 and has experienced recurring health problems since.

The Attorney General of Brazil, Paulo Gonet, described the accusations against the former president and his seven co-conspirators presumed during the opening session.

They were accused of leading an armed criminal organization, of trying the violent abolition of the rule of democratic law, an attempted coup, damages to federal goods and the deterioration of the listed heritage – of the accusations they deny.

The allegations date back before Bolsonaro supporters stormed government buildings on January 8, 2023.

Following an in-depth investigation, the police alleged that Bolsonaro and his seven co-accused had planned acts to abolish the law of democratic law and maintain it in power in 2019.

Police said he had a “full knowledge” of a plan to murder Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva – who at the time was the elected president – with Lula running mate and the Supreme Court Judge Alexander of Moraes.

One of the eight men on trials, the former best assistant in Bolsonaro, Mauro Cid, signed a advocacy agreement, agreeing to provide evidence in exchange for a lighter sentence.

According to prosecutors, some of the most harmful evidence they have against Bolsonaro comes from the information provided by CID.

CID’s lawyer spoke during the session on Tuesday and stressed that his client had not been forced to conclude the agreement on advocacy, thus refuting the accusations that his testimony had been extracted under pressure.

One of Bolsonaro’s lawyers, Celso Vilardi, said on Wednesday’s session that he would answer “point by point” from what Cid’s lawyer said.

Once all the lawyers of the defendants took their turn to speak, the judges will vote one by one. This is likely to occur in one of the sessions scheduled for next week.

A majority of three of the five votes is necessary to judge a guilty defendant.

Each judge can then recommend a sentence for guilty recognized people.

Bolsonaro and its co-accused can call on the complete Supreme Court if it is found guilty.