São Paulo (AP) – Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro has finally testified before the country's Supreme Court on alleged conspiracy to continue to rule and overturn the 2022 election results.
The Brazilian Supreme Court’s five judicial committees opened the first trial for eight of them, including former leaders, after Bolsonaro and 33 allies were charged in February with five counts related to the ruling plan.
The judge will hear from the other 26 defendants in the coming months.
The former president repeatedly denied the allegations and said he was the target of political persecution, but maintained a soft tone in his testimony on Tuesday.
The case stems from the riot on January 8, 2023, when the Supreme Court, Congress and the Presidential Palace in the capital Brasilia were attacked by thousands of Bolsonaro supporters. Police say the uprising happened after the sworn in office of the current President Lula Lula da Silva – an attempt to force military intervention and expel the new president.
If convicted of suspected coup, Bolsonaro could be sentenced to up to 12 years in prison. When used in conjunction with other charges, the defendant could face decades of prison.
Even after the panel is convicted, the case may not end and Bolsonaro can appeal across the entire panel of the Supreme Court of Brazil.
This is the next step in the trial:
testimony
The testimony of the eight defendants was the final stage of the evidence collection phase, but allowed their attorneys to request additional searches to help their case. Legal experts say it is unlikely that Judge Alexander de Moras, the chairman and panellist, will allow it. Once De Moraes decides all requirements, the evidence stage will be considered complete.
Final charge
Fifteen days after the collection phase ends, the Brazilian Attorney General will be allowed to file his final charges. The defendant's attorney will get the same opportunity. Each of these allegations is expected to take several hours or even days. This needs to be done by July, when the Brazilian Supreme Court entered August. After the final charge phase is completed, the sentencing phase begins.
Sentencing
The Supreme Court panel of five judges will decide whether Bolsonaro and his allies are guilty. The judges who decide the future of former Brazilian president are de Moras, Kalman Lucia, Cristiano Zanin, Flavio Dino and Luis Fuwang. All of them fought a public battle with Bolsonaro. De Moraes was the main judge in several cases against the far-right leaders, while Zanin and Dino joined the court as Lula's appointment. Lúcia and FUX are also the goals of Bolsonaro during his term of office chaired by the Election Court and the Supreme Court. If Bolsonaro is convicted, the judges will also decide on his fine.
What if he is convicted
Bolsonaro is still able to appeal to the full panel of the Brazilian Supreme Court. Brazil's top prosecutor could do the same if the former president was not convicted on all charges. Before any potential prison time, Bolsonrow's attorneys can further delay the conclusion of the trial by asking for clarification of each judge's decision. Legal experts say all these steps could end by the end of the year.
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