Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes on Monday ordered “the questioning of the accused” -- Bolsonaro and others -- in “an in-person session” starting Monday next week and running to Friday at the latest.
Prosecutors say Brazil’s president from 2019-2022 led a “criminal organization” plotting to undo the presidential election victory in 2022 of his leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro also stands accused of being aware of a plot to assassinate Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin, and judge Moraes -- an arch-foe.
Bolsonaro, 70, denies any role in a coup attempt and claims to be a victim of political persecution.
Former army commander General Marco Antonio Freire Gomes testified he had attended a meeting with Bolsonaro at the presidential residence in December 2022 where the declaration of a “state of siege” was discussed as a means of justifying military intervention after Lula’s election victory.
For his part, former air force chief Carlos de Almeida Baptista Junior said he had threatened to have Bolsonaro arrested if he carried out plans to oust Lula.
And Senator Ciro Nogueira, who had served as Bolsonaro’s chief of staff, testified the former president had “under no circumstances” demonstrated coup intentions.
The hearings have also examined the riots of January 8, 2023, when thousands of Bolsonaro supporters sacked key government buildings demanding a military intervention to oust Lula a week after his inauguration.
Next week’s hearings will see the accused take turns in the stand -- seven defendants including Bolsonaro -- as well as an eighth, former aide Mauro Cid, who has turned state’s witness.
He had repeatedly stated his intention to seek the presidency again in elections next year, despite a ban on him holding office until 2030 over his baseless criticism of Brazil’s electronic voting system.
Next week’s examination of the accused will be followed by a summation from prosecutors and final arguments by defense attorneys.
Several former Brazilian presidents have had legal entanglements since the end of the 1964-1985 military dictatorship, but Bolsonaro is the first to face coup charges.
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