Brazil’s Supreme Court says Bolsonaro must stand trial over alleged coup attempt

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Five Supreme Court justices ruled that former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will stand trial for allegedly attempting to overturn his 2022 reelection loss and stage a violent coup.

The panel of justices voted to move forward with the trial on the second day of proceedings against the former far-right leader. They all agreed that the allegations against Bolsonaro outlined in a 884-page report by federal investigative police, made public last November, warranted the trial.

Prosecutors say Bolsonaro participated and directed a plot to overturn his reelection loss and even planned to poison his successor and current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and kill the vice president and a supreme court justice.

That same justice, Alexandre Moraes, oversaw this week’s proceedings and said there was “reasonable evidence” that Bolsonaro “knew, handled and discussed” plans for a coup.

Bolsonaro has long denied any wrongdoing and claims his prosecution is politically motivated.

Posting on the social media site X Wednesday, he said the justices are biased against him and rushed through the proceedings so he could not run again for office in 2026. He also gave a lengthy defense following the ruling, declaring his innocence.

The five justices on the panel were unanimous in their order. They said seven close Bolsonaro allies should also stand trial on five counts: attempting to stage a coup, involvement in an armed criminal organization, attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, damage characterized by violence and a serious threat against the state’s assets and deterioration of listed heritage.

The Bolsonaro allies are former defense ministers Gen. Walter Braga Netto and Gen. Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira; Bolsonaro’s former navy commander, Adm. Almir Garnier Santos; his former security minister, Anderson Torres; his former spy chief, Alexandre Ramagem; his former minister for institutional security, Gen. Augusto Heleno and his former assistant, Lt. Col. Mauro Cid.

Cid struck a plea deal with prosecutors and will face a lighter sentence if convicted.

Although Bolsonaro attended the first day of the proceedings, he was not present when the panel ruled.

This is a major defeat for the ex-president, who held office from 2019 to the end of 2022.

After narrowly losing reelection, Bolsonaro’s supporters camped out in front of military installations around Brazil, urging the military to step in and overturn the results. Bolsonaro left for the United States before his successor took office. A week after inauguration day, his supporters ransacked government buildings in the capital Brasilia. More than 1,400 were arrested.

Bolsonaro has already been banned from running for office until 2030. He was barred by Brazil’s electoral courts for abuse of power after he made unfounded claims about Brazil’s voting system ahead of the 2022 elections.

He is also facing investigations for falsifying vaccination records and personally profiting from the illegal sale of gifts given to the president’s office from foreign governments.

If he is convicted on the current charges, he could be permanently banned from politics and face decades in prison.

Producer Valdemar Geo contributed to this report in Rio de Janeiro.