San Francisco Frontiers - Brazil's Bolsonaro rejects charges in coup trial

The 70-year-old was called to answer questions from lawyers and judges on his alleged role in a "criminal organization" that plotted to wrest back power after leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva narrowly beat Bolsonaro at the ballot box in October 2022.

The plot only failed, the charge sheet says, for a lack of military backing.

Bolsonaro, a former army captain who governed Brazil from 2019 to 2022, was the sixth of eight accused to face questioning in a session that started on Monday.

Dressed smartly in a dark suit and tie, the former president placed a copy of the Brazilian constitution on the table in front of him as he settled in, facing the judges.

"That's not the case, your honor," Bolsonaro replied when asked by Judge Alexandre de Moraes -- with whom he has had many previous run-ins -- whether the accusations against him were true.

He insisted he had only discussed possible "constitutional mechanisms" after his legal challenges to the election outcome failed, and said he never saw any "coup memo" as alleged by the prosecution.

"From my side... there was never talk of a coup," Bolsonaro told the court during two hours of questioning by Moraes -- who the ex-president has labeled a "dictator."

He also denied having knowledge of an alleged plan to kill Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin and Moraes.

Bolsonaro and his co-accused could face prison sentences of up to 40 years if convicted.

- Dictatorship nostalgia -

On Monday, former right-hand man Mauro Cid -- a co-defendant who has turned state's witness -- told the court Bolsonaro had "received and read" a draft decree for the declaration of a state of emergency.

He then "edited" the document, which would have paved the way for measures to "redo the election" and also envisaged the imprisonment of top personalities including Moraes, said Cid.

Apart from Cid, the other co-defendants are four ex-ministers and the former heads of Brazil's navy and intelligence agency.

Most who have taken the stand so far have rejected the bulk of the accusations in the charge sheet.

Two other former military commanders have claimed Bolsonaro hosted a meeting where the declaration of a state of emergency was discussed as a mechanism for holding new elections.

The trial is the first for an attempted coup under a democratic regime in Brazil, ruled by a military dictatorship from 1964 to 1985 for which Bolsonaro has expressed nostalgia.

Outside the court, a small group of protesters gathered with calls for the court to "punish those who threaten its democracy."

- 'My conscience is clear' -

Bolsonaro, who is still hoping to make a comeback in 2026 presidential elections despite being barred from running in a separate court ruling, denies all charges.

"They have nothing to convict me, my conscience is clear," the former leader told reporters Monday.

Almir Garnier, who was navy commander under Bolsonaro, denied on Tuesday that the former president had discussed the declaration of a state of emergency with military officials.

He also denied offering Bolsonaro navy troops.

Anderson Torres, who served as Bolsonaro's justice minister, appeared in court wearing an electronic bracelet to deny he had participated in drawing up a so-called "coup draft" document investigators said they found at his house.

- 'Moment of truth' -

Although he has the right to remain silent, the former president previously said he would be "very happy" to answer the court's questions.

"It's the moment of truth," he said.

The Supreme Court headquarters in Brasilia was one of the targets of rioting supporters known as "Bolsonaristas" -- who raided government buildings in January 2023 as they urged the military to oust Lula.

Bolsonaro was abroad at the time of this last-gasp effort to keep him in power after the alleged coup planning fizzled.

U.Lee--SFF