A Brazilian prosecutor on Tuesday urged the country’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) to convict former president Jair Bolsonaro for orchestrating an attempted coup d’état as the trial of the ex-president and seven co-defendants entered its final stage. Bolsonaro is accused of trying to derail the transfer of power to now-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva after losing Brazil’s 2022 elections. 

In oral arguments, Prosecutor Paulo Gonet described the case as a frightening and dark panorama of coordinated criminal acts against democratic institutions. He told the justices that the events cannot be downplayed, warning that the plot was meticulously planned and sought to corrupt Brazil’s constitutional order through systemic attacks on electoral integrity and appeals to military power.

In January 2023, Bolsonaro supporters, disgruntled with Lula’s victory, attacked Brazil’s presidential palace and National Congress as well as the STF.

Bolsonaro and his allies face multiple charges under Brazil’s Penal Code, including attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law (Art. 359-L) and attempted coup d’état (Art. 359-M). If convicted on all counts, Bolsonaro could face decades in prison.

Legal experts, however, caution that even a conviction will not result in immediate imprisonment. Under Brazilian law, sentences may only be enforced once all appeals are exhausted, meaning Bolsonaro would remain free unless the court orders preventive detention.

The STF’s five-member panel is expected to conclude hearings by September 12, after which the justices will deliberate on guilt and potential sentencing.