Lawyers for former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have submitted a final statement denying the charges against him in a trial focused on his alleged role in a plot to stay in power despite losing the 2022 election. In the statement, Bolsonaro’s legal representatives argued that prosecutors had presented no convincing evidence and that the case against him is baseless. “There is no way to convict Jair Bolsonaro based on the evidence presented in the case, which largely demonstrated that he ordered the transition … and assured his voters that the world would not end on December 31st,” the document states.
The right-wing former president faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted of attempting to mount a coup after losing a presidential election to left-wing rival and current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro’s lawyers say the fact that he authorised the transition contradicts the coup allegations. “This is evidence that eliminates the most essential of the accusatory premises,” they said.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet submitted final arguments in July, citing handwritten notes, digital files, message exchanges, and spreadsheets that he said show details of a conspiracy to suppress democracy. Following Bolsonaro’s election loss, crowds of his supporters gathered outside of military bases, calling on the armed forces to intervene and prevent Lula from taking office. A group of Bolsonaro’s supporters also stormed federal buildings in the capital of Brasilia on January 8, 2023.
Some drew parallels to a military coup in the 1960s that marked the beginning of a decades-long period of dictatorship, for which Bolsonaro himself has long expressed fondness. Bolsonaro and his allies, including United States President Donald Trump, have depicted the trial as a politically motivated “witch hunt”. A recent survey conducted by Datafolha, a Brazilian polling institute, found that more than 50 percent of Brazilians agree with the court’s decision to place Bolsonaro under house arrest in August.
The Trump administration has mounted a pressure campaign to push the court to drop Bolsonaro’s case, sanctioning Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and announcing severe sanctions on Brazilian exports to the US. That move has met anger in Brazil and been depicted as an attack on Brazilian sovereignty. Speaking from the White House on Thursday, Trump said Bolsonaro was an “honest man” and the victim of an attempted “political execution”.
The situation highlights the complex and often contentious relationship between the US and Brazil, particularly with regards to politics and diplomacy. The outcome of Bolsonaro’s trial will have significant implications for Brazilian politics and the country’s democratic institutions.