Brazil’s Supreme Court has begun the landmark trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who stands accused of leading a "criminal organization" to overturn the results of the 2022 election and plotting a coup d’état. The far-right leader, who narrowly lost to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted.
The court will hear testimony over the next two weeks from high-ranking military officials and political figures, including former army and air force commanders who served under Bolsonaro. More than 80 witnesses are expected to testify via videoconference.
Prosecutors allege that Bolsonaro and his allies devised a plan to annul the 2022 election results, declare a state of emergency, and hold new elections. A 900-page federal police report details the scheme, which purportedly included discussions of assassinating President Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
The plan allegedly collapsed due to a lack of military support. However, prosecutors argue that Bolsonaro’s rhetoric laid the groundwork for the January 8, 2023 riots, when thousands of his supporters stormed government buildings in Brasília in an attempt to provoke a military intervention. Though Bolsonaro was in the U.S. at the time, prosecutors claim he endorsed the violence as a "last hope" to overturn the election.
Seven of Bolsonaro’s former aides are also on trial, including four ex-ministers, a former navy commander, and his intelligence chief. This marks the first time a Brazilian president has faced coup charges since the end of military rule in 1985.
On Monday, former army commander General Marco Antônio Freire Gomes testified that Bolsonaro had discussed declaring a "state of siege" to challenge the election results. Gomes claimed he warned Bolsonaro that such a move would have "serious judicial implications."
Former air force chief Carlos de Almeida Baptista Junior is set to testify later this week. Both officers previously told federal police that Bolsonaro had explored legal avenues to justify military intervention but ultimately failed to secure their backing.
Bolsonaro attended the hearings wearing a yellow Brazilian football jersey, a nod to his nationalist base. Despite being barred from office until 2030 over baseless attacks on Brazil’s voting system, he has hinted at a political comeback. However, he recently likened the trial to a "telenovela scenario" and warned that a conviction would amount to a "political and physical death penalty."
The trial’s preliminary phase will assess witness credibility before moving to defense arguments and a final ruling by the Supreme Court justices. Legal experts say contradictions in testimony could shape the outcome.
Bolsonaro, who faced widespread criticism for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, remains a polarizing figure. His recent hospitalization for abdominal surgery—a lingering effect of a 2018 stabbing—has added another layer to his legal and political saga.