Brazil’s Supreme Court allegations against key Bolsonaro allies in coup lawsuit
São Paulo (AP) – Brazil’s Supreme Court justices’ panel began a lawsuit Tuesday morning to determine whether federal officials, retired officers and former President Jair Bolsonaro will also be tried for alleged attempts to carry out a coup.
Last month, the group unanimously accepted allegations against Bolsenro and was suspected of attempting to remain in office after the election to defeat Luiz Inácio Lulada Silva in the 2022 election and ordered him to stand trial.
When Prosecutor Paulo Gonet accused Bolsonaro and 33 people of attempting a coup, he divided them into five different groups based on their roles and positions in the alleged conspiracy.
According to the allegations, Bolsonaro and his closest allies, including campaign partner Braga Netto, were placed in the “core group.” Now, the Supreme Court panel will review the allegations against the second group, which Gonet said took on a management role.
The second group includes former presidential diplomatic adviser Filipe Martins, retired General Mario Fernandes, former Federal Highway Police Commissioner Silvinei Vasques, former presidential aide Marcelo Câmara and two federal police officers, Fernando Oliveira and Marilia Alencar.
Gonet said in the indictment that the men coordinated the actions of the core group’s planned actions. These include mobilizing police to support the so-called coup, overseeing the authorities and drafting documents aimed at justifying the state of immunity in the country.
If the majority voted for it, the defendant would become the defendant in a criminal case.
Bolsonaro and his allies repeatedly deny misconduct. The former president said he was politically persecuted. He has been hospitalized for more than a week and has recovered from intestinal surgery. On Monday, he was interviewed by local television network SBT on a hospital bed in Brasilia and said his trial was not technical but political.
Under Brazilian law, a sentence of up to 12 years can be sentenced to a single coup conviction, but when combined with other charges, it can result in decades of sentences. The former president is expected to be tried in Brazil’s Supreme Court in the coming months.
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