Find out what will be at stake at Bolsonaro’s trial on the STF on Tuesday

The first class of the Federal Supreme Court () begins on Tuesday (25) the trial to decide whether to accept the complaint against the former president (PL) and seven other accused of attempted coup in 2022. The group is pointed out by the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) as part of the “crucial core” of the criminal organization investigated by the Federal Police.

The accused

In addition to Bolsonaro, the other accused are:

• Alexandre Ramagem -Federal deputy and former director of the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin);
• ALMIR GARNIER SANTOS -Former Navy Commander;
• Anderson Torres -Former Minister of Justice and former Secretary of Public Security of the DF;
• Augusto Heleno -Reserve General and former Minister of the Institutional Security Office (GSI);
• Mauro Cid -Lieutenant Colonel and former Presidency Orders;
• Paulo Sérgio Nogueira -General and former Minister of Defense;
• Walter Braga Netto -Reserve General and former Minister of the Civil House.

Accusations and Crimes

The eight accused are accused of five crimes:

• Coup d’etat;
• Violent abolition of the democratic rule of law;
• Armed criminal organization;
• Qualified damage;
• DECLARED OF HERITAGE.

If the complaint is accepted, a criminal action will be opened, and the accused will become defendants in the STF. Otherwise, the case will be filed.

Step by Step of Judgment

The sessions take place this Tuesday (25), at 9:30 and at 14h, and on Wednesday (26), at 9:30 am. The trial will follow the rite established by the Supreme Court:

1. Session opening by the President of the First Class, Minister Cristiano Zanin;
2. READING OF THE REPORT by the rapporteur, Minister Alexandre de Moraes;
3. PGR Oral Supportwith 30 minutes to present the case;
4. ORAL SUSTAININGwith 15 minutes for each lawyer;
5. Voting on preliminary questionsas procedural questions;
6. Vote on the merits of the complaintfirst by the rapporteur and then by the other ministers (Flávio Dino, Luiz Fux, Cármen Lúcia and Cristiano Zanin).

Consequences and next steps

If the complaint is accepted, the criminal action will go to the procedural instruction phase, where testimonials will be collected and collected. In the end, the Supreme Court will judge if the accused are guilty or innocent. If convicted, the penalties may vary according to their level of participation in the crimes. The STF reinforced security for the trial, with access control and support from the DF Public Security Bureau. The sessions will be broadcast live on TV Justice and STF channels on YouTube.

Bolsonaro’s interlocutors believe that the judiciary will make the former president unanimously. In addition, they believe that live transmission can result in cuts for social networks, feeding narratives both governing and opposition. Parliamentarians contrary to the government are already planning to use these cuts to contest the speeches of the magistrates.

The trial in question is not a final sentence, but the admissibility of the complaint presented by the Attorney General, Paulo Gonê. The complaint is expected to be accepted, but the result remains uncertain due to the complexity of the case. The analysis will be conducted by the Federal Supreme Court, and the acceptance of the complaint will mark the beginning of Bolsonaro’s formal judgment.

Published by Felipe Dantas

*Report produced with the aid of AI