(Adnkronos) – Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro rejected, during a hearing before the Supreme Court, any accusation of having conspired to overturn the results of the 2022 elections and organize a coup against his successor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “There was never any talk of a coup. A coup is an abominable thing – Bolsonaro declared – Brazil could not live through such an experience. And in my government there was never even the possibility of a coup.”
According to the accusation, Bolsonaro allegedly participated in the drafting of a decree to impose a state of emergency and was aware of a plan to assassinate Lula, his vice president and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The former president denied everything: “I have always respected the constitution. I had no knowledge of a plot for an assassination.”
The trial, which began on Monday, involves seven other defendants, including former ministers, senior army officers and former aide Mauro Cid. All are accused of attempting to subvert the democratic order. The verdict is expected in the second half of the year and, if convicted, Bolsonaro faces over 30 years in prison.
