Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro may soon do the same. He is accused of having planned a violent takeover of the government in a military coup. This follows a decision by Brazil’s Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously that there is enough evidence to go to trial against Bolsonaro. Yet he is being prosecuted for an advocacy conspiracy. Authorities say he attempted to hold onto power after losing the 2022 presidential election by a razor-thin margin to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The unanimous 5-0 ruling from the Supreme Court was centered on the accusations against Bolsonaro and his allies. They charged them with plotting a pro-Bolsonaro coup between the October 2022 election and the January 8, 2023 Brasília riots. To wit, the charges would indicate a far-reaching conspiracy to subvert Brazil’s democratic electoral process.
Bolsonaro has consistently dismissed the claims that he instigated the events of January 8 and/or that he led an alleged criminal organization. Now he says he’s the victim of a campaign of judicial persecution. He claims that this persecution lawsuit is a conspiracy to destroy his political future. As he argues, he thinks it tries to repress the rightwing opposition in Brazil.
"They are accusing me of a crime I never committed – a supposed attempted coup," said Jair Bolsonaro.
What makes things worse for Bolsonaro is that a number of former high-ranking officials in his administration. His previous defense ministers, Gen Walter Braga Netto and Gen Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira, will go on trial. They are accompanied by ex-navy commander Adm Almir Garnier Santos, ex-security minister Anderson Torres, ex-intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem and ex-minister for institutional security Gen Augusto Heleno. They face charges of participating in an armed criminal organization, attempting a coup d'état, and violently trying to dismantle Brazilian democracy.
Bolsonaro’s former chief aide, Lt Col Mauro Cid, introduces the second important complication to the story. He faces a reduced sentence as part of a plea deal he’s reached with prosecutors.
Amidst these legal challenges, Bolsonaro's lawyer, Celso Vilardi, maintains his client's innocence and dismisses claims of involvement in the January 8 uprising or any plots against top authorities including Lula.
"An aberration, the like of which has never been seen before," Bolsonaro described the situation.
The former president's future remains uncertain. Observers believe his political resurrection may hinge on supporting a rightwing ally in next year's presidential election who could potentially pardon him if elected. At the same time, political analyst Mello Franco sounds the alarm that Bolsonaro seems to be taking inspiration from people like Donald Trump.
"Bolsonaro is hoping Trump will be a kind of saviour for him, both politically and judicially," stated Mello Franco. "He believes Trump will somehow interfere in Brazilian politics to help him."
Franco notes the improbability of such assistance given Trump's own priorities.
"Right now, I think Trump seems to have greater priorities than Brazil … [and that] the Bolsonaros are paying more attention to Trump than Trump is paying to Bolsonaro," Franco added.