🪖 Fractured front in the closing arguments
Brazil’s Supreme Court has just scheduled the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro and his military allies to begin on September 2.
In their closing arguments, the defendants reinforced some important statements. Bolsonaro's defense minister, retired General Paulo Sérgio de Oliveira, said he feared his boss could take further steps to overturn the 2022 elections.
Check out this and other arguments presented to the court with reporter Isabela Cruz.
🚨Bolsonaro placed under house arrest
Donald Trump’s pressure against the Brazilian judiciary has not worked. Less than a week after being sanctioned by the US government, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes placed Jair Bolsonaro on house arrest. Context and details with editor-in-chief Gustavo Ribeiro and reporter Isabela Cruz.
👀 If you want to know more about the trial, The Brazilian Report is hosting a live broadcast with top legal experts to explain what’s at stake for Bolsonaro.
💨 After holding hands with Trump, Bolsonaro is grabbed by the ankle
Following US President Donald Trump's tariff threats against Brazil, in favor of the former president and criminal defendant Jair Bolsonaro, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro to wear an ankle monitor, and authorized a police operation against him. Just a few hours after the operation, a Supreme Court panel reached a majority to say the measures are valid.
Bolsonaro is suspected of plotting to flee the country, potentially to the US, where he could ask Trump for political asylum. The Federal Police searched Bolsonaro’s home and the headquarters of his Liberal Party on the morning of July 18, and reportedly seized USD 14,000 and BRL 8,000 (USD 1,440) in cash, reinforcing suspicions that Bolsonaro has become a flight risk — claims that he denies.
Is Bolsonaro's legal situation getting worse? Are there now additional crimes at stake? Check out the latest insights from our editor-in-chief, Gustavo Ribeiro.
🫵 Trump tries to butt in on Brazil’s business
US President Donald Trump has stuck his nose into Brazil’s business in an attempt to defend former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing trial for an alleged coup attempt after the 2022 election.
Announcing additional 50% tariffs on all Brazilian exports to the United States, Trump justified his move by accusing the country of staging a “witch hunt” against his far-right ally. “This trial should not be taking place,” he wrote in a letter to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The economic fallout, the potential trade war, and how blame will be distributed among Brazil’s domestic political forces are still far from certain. When it comes to Bolsonaro’s legal defense, however, Trump’s attempt to intimidate the Supreme Court may only reinforce the very playbook of institutional attacks Bolsonaro is accused of following. Check out reporter Isabela Cruz’s insights in the video below.
💥 What cracks can confrontations make?
The high-profile case over an alleged coup attempt following the 2022 election has reached the phase of face-to-face confrontations between defendants and witnesses, and some key contradictions have yet to be resolved. The next step will be closing arguments from the prosecution and those in the crosshairs of justice.
Army Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, who agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors, alleges that retired General Walter Braga Netto, former President Jair Bolsonaro's running mate, hosted military officers at his home to discuss a plan to challenge the results of the 2022 election. According to Federal Police reports, that meeting was in fact a planning session for an alleged plot to assassinate then-President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and other public officials.
Cid further testified that Braga Netto gave him a bag filled with cash to fund the scheme, though he claims he did not know its purpose at the time. Investigators say they have uncovered evidence that a group of military officers had begun to act on the alleged assassination plot. Braga Netto, however, denies any wrongdoing, insisting the meeting was mischaracterized and that he never gave money to Cid.
Reporter Isabela Cruz sums up the twists and turns in this unfolding story in the video below.
🤯 Not your usual courtroom drama: Bolsonaro's strategy of normalizing the absurd
Check out clips from Jair Bolsonaro’s Supreme Court interrogation, in which the former president admitted that he had discussed exceptional measures with military leaders in the waning days of his presidency.
By his own account, the measures included scenarios that would have overturned the 2022 election that brought leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva back to power.
Bolsonaro denies accusations that he led an attempt to subvert democracy, but he showed no shame in saying the idea had been seriously proposed to military commanders, as reporter Isabela Cruz tells in the video below.
Want to know more about the Bolsonaro Trial? Follow video updates here on this page and find more to read at our Bolsonaro Trial section:
