RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) 鈥 Brazil鈥檚 chief prosecutor has called for a guilty verdict in the case of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is on trial accused of leading an alleged coup plot.
鈥淭he evidence is clear: the defendant acted systematically, throughout his mandate and after his defeat at the polls, to incite insurrection and the destabilization of the democratic rule of law,鈥 Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet said in a 517-long page document released late on Monday.
Bolsonaro is accused of seeking to overturn in which he was defeated by a left-wing rival.
鈥淎ll the accusations are false. I never violated democracy or the constitution,鈥 Bolsonaro said on X hours before Gonet submitted his final allegations. He said the trial was a 鈥渨itch hunt,鈥 echoing a when he came to his South American ally鈥檚 defense last week.
The prosecution accuses Bolsonaro of leading an armed criminal organization, attempting to stage a coup and attempting violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, aggravated damage and deterioration of listed heritage.
The defence will present its case shortly. Then the of Supreme Court justices that opened against the former president will vote on whether to convict or acquit him. Experts expect that to happen in the second half of the year.
A coup conviction carries a sentence of up to 12 years. A conviction on that and other charges could bring decades behind bars.
The former president has and asserted that he is the target of political persecution.
A lawyer for Bolsonaro did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump last week imposed a 50% import tax on , directly tying the tariffs to Bolsonaro’s trial. The U.S. president has described Bolsonaro as a friend and at his Mar-a-Lago resort when both were in power in 2020.
Trump said that Brazil 鈥渋s doing a terrible thing in their treatment鈥 of Bolsonaro. He added that Bolsonaro 鈥渋s not guilty of anything, except for having fought for the people,鈥 and compared the Brazilian鈥檚 situation to his own.
Gonet formally charged Bolsonaro and 33 others in February in connection with an alleged coup days after President took office.
Gonet said Bolsonaro’s actions 鈥渨ere not limited to a passive stance of resistance to defeat, but were a conscious effort to create an environment conducive to violence and a coup.鈥 He added that 鈥渢he criminal organization documented almost all of the actions described in the indictment through recordings, handwritten notes, digital files, spreadsheets, and exchanges of electronic messages.鈥
The prosecution is also seeking convictions for several of Bolsonaro, including his running mate during the 2022 election and former defense minister, Walter Braga Netto, ex-Justice Minister Anderson Torres and his aide-de-camp Mauro Cid.
Brazil鈥檚 Supreme Court president, Justice Lu铆s Roberto Barroso, said the U.S. 鈥渟anctions鈥 鈥 a reference to Trump’s tariffs 鈥 are based on 鈥渁n inaccurate understanding鈥 of events.
鈥淔or those who didn鈥檛 live through a dictatorship or don鈥檛 remember one, it鈥檚 worth remembering: there was a lack of freedom, torture, forced disappearances, the closure of Congress, and the persecution of judges. In today鈥檚 Brazil, no one is persecuted,鈥 Barroso said.
Bolsonaro, a former military officer who was known to express nostalgia for , openly defied Brazil鈥檚 judicial system during his 2019-2022 term in office.
He has been from running in elections until 2030 over abuse of power while in office and casting unfounded doubts on the country鈥檚 electronic voting system.
