Top court unanimously accepts coup charges against Bolsonaro
The First Panel of Brazil’s Supreme Court on Wednesday (Mar. 26) unanimously voted to accept the charges against Jair Bolsonaro of coup d’état and attempting to abolish the democratic rule of law.
This is the first time a former elected president has been placed in the dock for crimes against the democratic order established by the 1988 Constitution.
“There is no doubt therefore that the prosecution has pointed to more than sufficient, reasonable evidence of materiality and responsibility for the charges against Jair Messias Bolsonaro,” said Justice Moraes, rapporteur in the case at the Supreme Court, referring to the report presented last month by Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
Justice Moraes voted for Bolsonaro to also answer to the crimes of armed criminal organization, damage qualified by the use of violence, and serious threat and deterioration of listed heritage. Taken together, the sentences exceed 30 years in prison.
Justices Flávio Dino, Luiz Fux, Cármen Lúcia, and Cristiano Zanin, chairman of the First Panel, made up of five of the 11 Supreme Court justices where the coup case is being heard, followed the rapporteur.
Other defendants
The First Panel also voted for seven of Bolsonaro’s allies to face trial in the same criminal case. The full list is as follows:
- Jair Bolsonaro, former president of Brazil;
- Walter Braga Netto, Army general, former minister and Bolsonaro’s vice-presidential running mate for the 2022 elections;
- Augusto Heleno, Army general and former head of the Institutional Security Cabinet;
- Alexandre Ramagem, former director of the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin);
- Anderson Torres, former minister of Justice and former Secretary of Security for the Federal District;
- Almir Garnier, former Navy commander;
- Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, Army general and former defense minister;
- Mauro Cid, a whistleblower and former aide to Bolsonaro.
