The seven defendants in the “Core 1” group of Brazil’s coup plot, including former president Jair Bolsonaro, have until next Wednesday (13) to submit their final arguments to the Supreme Federal Court (STF). After that, Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the criminal case, will prepare his opinion and release the case for judgment. The date for the trial on the charges brought by the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGR) will be set by Cristiano Zanin, president of the court’s First Panel.
Alongside Bolsonaro, the so-called “Core 1” includes former Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin) director and current federal lawmaker Alexandre Ramagem, former ministers Augusto Heleno, Anderson Torres, Walter Braga Netto, and Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, Bolsonaro’s former aide-de-camp Mauro Cid, now a cooperating witness, and former Navy commander Almir Garnier. The PGR describes this group as the “crucial core” of the coup attempt.
They face charges of leading an armed criminal organization, attempting to violently abolish the democratic rule of law, attempting a coup d’état, causing damage to Union property through violence and serious threats with substantial harm to the victim, and deterioration of protected heritage property. Convictions could lead to sentences of up to 39 years in prison.
Since Monday (4), Bolsonaro has been under house arrest, ordered by Justice Moraes after violating court-imposed precautionary measures in an inquiry launched earlier this year into his son, Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, accused of coordinating with the United States government to seek sanctions against Brazilian Supreme Court justices.
Another Core 1 defendant, General Braga Netto, has remained in custody since December 2024 after being arrested on Moraes’s orders for allegedly attempting to interfere with the investigation.
Meanwhile, the “Core 2” group — composed of six defendants — is expected to wrap up additional defense-requested procedures this week, after which they will have to file their own final arguments. This group is accused by the PGR of drafting the so-called “coup memorandum”, surveilling Justice Moraes, and coordinating with the Federal Highway Police (PRF) to hinder voter turnout in Brazil’s Northeast during the 2022 elections.
