Overview

• Brazil’s Public Prosecutor’s Office has urged the Supreme Court to convict Jair Bolsonaro and seven co-defendants of plotting an armed coup to overturn the 2022 election
• Charges include attempted coup, formation of an armed criminal association and attacks on protected state institutions, carrying a combined maximum sentence of 40 years for Bolsonaro
• The trial entered its final phase this week with closing arguments concluded and a verdict now expected in September
• Bolsonaro rejects all allegations as false and labels the proceedings a “witch hunt,” asserting he never violated Brazil’s democratic order
• President Trump has supported Bolsonaro with threats of 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports and President Lula has signed a decree enabling reciprocal trade countermeasures