Brazil’s Supreme Court receives defense of indicted coup plotters
The Federal Supreme Court has received defenses from 26 of the 34 individuals indicted by the Attorney General's Office in the coup plot investigation during Jair Bolsonaro's government.
Most defendants had until Thursday (Mar. 6) to submit their defense, while the remaining statements were due Friday (7).
The 15-day submission deadline began on February 19 and 20, when defendants were notified of the charges.
In their defenses submitted to the Supreme Court, the defendants deny involvement in the coup attempt, claim limited access to evidence, request the replacement of rapporteur Justice Alexandre de Moraes, seek a plenary trial instead of one by the First Panel, and challenge the legality of accusations made by Mauro Cid, a former aide-de-camp to Jair Bolsonaro.
Trial
Once all the defenses have been submitted, the Supreme Court will schedule the trial of the complaint.
The case will be judged by the Supreme Court's First Panel, which includes rapporteur Alexandre de Moraes and Justices Flávio Dino, Cristiano Zanin, Cármen Lúcia, and Luiz Fux.
According to the Court's rules of procedure, it is up to the court's two panels to judge criminal cases. As the rapporteur is a member of the First Panel, the indictment will be judged by this collegiate body.
If a majority of the justices approve the indictment, Bolsonaro and the other defendants will officially stand trial and face criminal charges before the Supreme Court.
The trial date has not yet been set, but given the legal procedures, the case may be heard in the first half of 2025.
