March 27, 2025
Jail for Bolsonaro, Photo: Elineudo Meira / @fotografia.75
On Wednesday, the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil reached the majority necessary to indict former president Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022) for his alleged participation in an attempted coup d’état following the 2022 elections, in which he was defeated by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
On this second day of the trial, Bolsonaro did not participate in person after the rejection of the questions presented by his lawyers. His legal team claimed to fear that he would be placed in preventive detention or be fitted with an electronic ankle bracelet as a measure to prevent him from attempting to seek asylum or flee the country.
Of the five judges deliberating, Alexandre de Moraes, Flávio Dino and Luiz Fux voted in favor of the indictment, while the verdicts of Carmen Lúcia Antunes and Cristiano Zanin are pending.
Once the vote is finalized and all the judges have given their verdict, the Supreme Court will have to go through all the judicial instances before the sentences are applied, which could take months of time.
Charges and penalties
Bolsonaro will face trial for five crimes, including:
The maximum penalties for these crimes could exceed 40 years in prison. According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the coup strategy led by Bolsonaro began to take shape in 2021 and culminated in the violent events of January 8, 2023, when supporters of the former president stormed the Supreme Court, Congress and the Presidency in Brasilia.
Collaborators involved
In addition to Bolsonaro, the Supreme Court also decided to bring several of his closest associates to trial, including former senior government officials and military commanders. They include:
The complaint filed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in February 2025 accuses Bolsonaro and 33 other suspects of trying to overturn the results of the 2022 elections in order to stay in power. According to the attorney general, Paulo Gonet, the conspiracy included a plan to assassinate Lula and judge Alexandre de Moraes, although this did not materialize due to a lack of support from the army.