MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolsonaro seeks acquittal in coup plot trial, denies evidence against him

The former president is charged with attempting to violently abolish the democratic rule of law

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has submitted his final statement to the Supreme Court, requesting acquittal on five charges that could add up to 43 years in prison. “There is no evidence of the coup imagined by the prosecution,” his defense argued, denying any link to the alleged plan to assassinate President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

His lawyers insist that “there is no signed decree or order to mobilize troops” and challenge the credibility of testimony from his former aide Mauro Cid, a key figure in the case. They also criticized the trial being held in the Supreme Court’s first chamber, which includes two justices appointed by Lula and none by Bolsonaro.

The former president is charged with attempting to violently abolish the democratic rule of law, coup d’état, belonging to an armed criminal organization, damage to property, and deterioration of protected heritage. Already barred from running for office until 2030, he is serving house arrest in Brasília for violating precautionary measures, including a ban on using social media.

The case has taken on an international dimension, with U.S. President Donald Trump backing Bolsonaro and imposing harsh economic and diplomatic sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court justices. Meanwhile, Brazilian public opinion remains divided: 51% support his house arrest, while 39% oppose it, according to a Datafolha poll.