Brazil’s Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that former President Jair Bolsonaro and seven of his close associates will stand trial on five charges, including an attempt to overthrow the government after he lost the 2022 election. The court’s panel will assess existing evidence, possibly gather new material, and hear testimonies. Legal experts believe Bolsonaro could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted, though his actual sentence may be shorter due to procedural factors.

The charges against Bolsonaro include attempting to stage a coup, participating in an armed criminal organization, attempting to dismantle democratic rule through violence, damaging state property, and harming protected national heritage. The ruling is based on an indictment by Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who accused Bolsonaro of leading a criminal network that had been active since at least 2021. Gonet also alleged that Bolsonaro supported a plan that involved poisoning his successor, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and plotting to kill Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

While the trial date has not yet been determined, the chairman of the Supreme Court panel is expected to outline the procedural framework soon. The trial will begin with an evidentiary phase, including defendant interrogations, witness testimonies, and expert examinations. Once this phase is completed, a report will be prepared, after which prosecutors and defense attorneys will present their final arguments before the court delivers a verdict. Bolsonaro’s defense team had requested that the case be heard by the full Supreme Court rather than the five-judge panel, which could have delayed proceedings until 2026, but the request was denied.

Bolsonaro’s trial will be overseen by a five-justice panel of the Supreme Court, none of whom were appointed by him. Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who brought the charges, is part of the panel, alongside Carmen Lucia, known for her strict stance on criminal cases, Cristiano Zanin, a former lawyer for Lula, Flávio Dino, a former justice minister under Lula’s government, and Luiz Fux, the Supreme Court’s chief justice from 2020 to 2022.

Under Brazilian law, Bolsonaro can only be jailed if he is found guilty after exhausting all appeals. However, if he attempts to obstruct the court’s proceedings, such as by seeking asylum in a foreign embassy, he could be arrested before the trial concludes. Following the Supreme Court’s decision, Bolsonaro denied any wrongdoing, claiming he is being politically persecuted. He remarked, If I go to jail, I will give you a lot of work.

Bolsonaro is not the first Brazilian president to face trial. Lula da Silva was convicted of corruption and money laundering in 2017 and spent over a year in prison before his sentence was annulled in 2021 due to judicial bias. Michel Temer, who governed from 2016 to 2018, was briefly arrested in 2019 over corruption allegations but was acquitted in 2024. Fernando Collor, who was impeached in 1992, was sentenced to more than eight years in prison in 2023 for corruption linked to state-run companies, though he has not yet been imprisoned.

In an unprecedented move, high-ranking military officials will also stand trial in the Supreme Court. Four key military figures from Bolsonaro’s administration—former Defense Minister Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, former Navy Commander Almir Garnier Santos, retired General Augusto Heleno, and retired General Walter Braga Netto—are being charged for their alleged involvement in the coup plot. According to political analyst João Roberto Martins Filho, their prosecution marks a significant moment in Brazil’s democratic history, reinforcing the legal consequences for failed military-backed coup attempts.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.