Brazil: Federal Supreme Court charges Bolsonaro with attempted coup d'etat

Published at: 26/03/2025 11:57 AM

The Supreme Federal Court of Brazil reached the majority needed this Wednesday to impeach former President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022) for his alleged participation in an attempted coup after the 2022 elections, in which he was defeated by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Bolsonaro did not participate in person after the rejection of the questions presented by his lawyers. His legal team alleged that they were afraid that his preventive detention or the use of an electronic ankle brace would be ordered as a measure to prevent a possible attempt at asylum or escape from the country.

Of the five judges who were deliberating, Alexandre de Moraes, Flávio Dino and Luiz Fux voted in favor of the indictment, pending the pronouncement of Carmen Lúcia Antunes and Cristiano Zanin.

Once the vote is over and all the judges are pronounced, the Supreme Court must go through all the judicial instances before the convictions are applied, which could take months.

Bolsonaro will face trial for five crimes, including:

Attempted coup d'etat.

Abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law.

Membership in an armed criminal organization.

The maximum penalties for these crimes could exceed 40 years in prison. According to the Prosecutor's Office

Mazo News Team