Overview

• Presiding Justice Alexandre de Moraes opened proceedings vowing independence from external pressure after President Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods and sanctioned him.
• Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet argued Bolsonaro led a criminal organization that sought to overturn the 2022 result through an emergency decree, disinformation, and the Jan. 8, 2023 rampage, while the defense insists he is innocent.
• Bolsonaro, 70, remains under house arrest with an ankle monitor as the court ordered vehicle inspections and in-person surveillance near his residence over flight-risk concerns.
• The five-justice panel will rule on five counts against Bolsonaro and seven allies, including former ministers and generals, with a simple majority required and the option of appeals to the full court.
• Allegations include discussions of assassinating President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and Justice de Moraes, as well as damage to public property, and Bolsonaro is already barred from office until 2030.