Bolsonaro planned to 'redo' 2022 Brazil election he lost, court told
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro helped draft a plan to "redo the election" he narrowly lost in 2022, a co-accused testified on Monday in the former's trial over an alleged coup attempt.
Prosecutors accuse the 70-year-old far-right leader, who governed Brazil from 2019 to 2022, of having led a "criminal organization" plotting to wrest power from leftist election victor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The plot failed, the charge sheet says, for a lack of military backing.
Bolsonaro and six co-accused appeared in the Supreme Court on Monday to undergo questioning over several days. A seventh took part via videoconference from prison.
"They have nothing to convict me, my conscience is clear," the former leader told reporters during a break in the hearing.
Bolsonaro wore a dark suit, instead of his typical T-shirt in the green and yellow colors of the Brazilian flag, and sat facing Alexandre De Moraes, one of the judges in the case and an archfoe.
The ex-president listened intently, taking occasional notes, as his former right-hand man, Mauro Cid — a co-defendant who has turned state's witness — told the court Bolsonaro had "received and read" a draft decree for the declaration of a state of emergency.
He then "edited" the document, which would have paved the way for measures to "redo the election" Lula had won, and also envisaged the imprisonment of officials, said Cid.
The witness told Moraes that Bolsonaro's edit meant that "only you would be imprisoned," prompting laughter from the ex-president.
Cid also testified he had received cash in a wine crate from Bolsonaro's former running mate and defense minister, Walter Braga Netto.
The money, say investigators, was to be used to finance an operation by special troops to kill Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin and the judge, Moraes.
Bolsonaro, who is hoping to make a comeback in 2026 presidential elections despite being barred from running, denies all charges.
He and his former aides risk prison sentences of up to 40 years.
Although he has the right to remain silent, the former president told reporters he plans to respond "without any problem" to questions from the court.
"It's an excellent idea to speak openly about the coup. I will be very happy to have the opportunity to clarify what happened," the former army captain said last week.
"It's the moment of truth."
'Dictator'
The Supreme Court headquarters in Brasilia, where Bolsonaro will take the stand at some point this week, was one of the targets of rioting supporters known as "Bolsonaristas" who raided government buildings in January 2023 as they urged the military to oust Lula.
Bolsonaro was abroad at the time of this last-gasp effort to stay in power after the alleged coup planning fizzled.
For the former president, Monday's hearings marked a reunion with former allies and sworn enemies including Cid, who has been labeled a traitor for testifying against his former boss.
His testimony had allowed police to identify various actors in the alleged coup plot and to lay hands on compromising information, according to the investigation.
Four ex-ministers and the former heads of Brazil's navy and intelligence agency will also be giving testimony in an in-person questioning session expected to run no later than Friday. The proceedings are broadcast live.
Bolsonaro will face questions not only from prosecutors and defense attorneys, but also from Moraes, whom the former president calls a "dictator."
Historic first
Bolsonaro spent the weekend with his lawyers preparing his testimony at the residence of Sao Paulo's state governor, Tarcisio de Freitas, local media reported.
In a preliminary trial phase, Freitas, who served as Bolsonaro's infrastructure minister, testified his boss had "never touched" on the subject of a coup.
But two former army commanders said Bolsonaro had hosted a meeting where the declaration of a state of emergency was discussed as a means of overturning Lula's election victory.
Bolsonaro's trial is the first for an attempted coup under a democratic regime in Brazil.
New witnesses may yet be called before the court gets to closing arguments and sentencing deliberations.
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Japan Times
2 days ago
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Asahi Shimbun
2 days ago
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Asahi Shimbun
5 days ago
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