Brazil Supreme Court to decide whether to put Bolsonaro on trial

Jair Bolsonaro is accused of plotting a coup, but the ex-president says he is the victim of a witch hunt.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersBrazil's Supreme Court to decide whether to put Bolsonaro on trial1 hour agoShareSaveVanessa BuschschlüterBBC NewsShareSaveReutersJustices on Brazil's top court are debating whether former President Jair Bolsonaro should stand trial for allegedly attempting to stage a coup against the current President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

A five-member panel of the Supreme Court will weigh up evidence presented by the chief prosecutor, who accuses Bolsonaro of leading a plot to prevent his rival Lula from taking office after the latter won the 2022 election.

Bolsonaro, 70, says he is the victim of "political persecution" aimed at preventing him from running again for president in 2026.

The judges are expected to decide before the end of Wednesday whether there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial.

Bolsonaro is already barred from running for public office until 2030 for falsely claiming that Brazil's voting system was vulnerable to fraud, but he has declared his intention to fight that ban so he can run for a second term in 2026.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y0nkz2g06o

---