First Panel ministers will decide on the condemnation or acquittal of the former president and seven more defendants in an alleged coup attempt case. Minister Cristiano Zanin, president of the Supreme Federal Court’s First Panel, scheduled the beginning of the trial of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro and seven other defendants from group 1 for September 2 in the process investigating an alleged coup attempt in 2022. The First Panel will have special sessions on September 2, 3, 9, 10, and 12 to analyze the case.
A day after all defendants submitted their final arguments on Wednesday (13), the rapporteur minister Alexandre de Moraes released the case for trial and asked Zanin to set a date. During the trial, the First Panel ministers will vote on the condemnation or acquittal of the defendants and will determine a sentence. Moraes will start the session by reading his report, where he is expected to review all evidence collected and produced during the process.
Following that, the Attorney General of the Republic, Paulo Gonet, or a representative of the prosecution, will make an oral argument. The defendants’ lawyers will then do the same, starting with Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, who is a whistleblower, and continuing in alphabetical order. Only after the oral arguments, Minister Alexandre de Moraes will present his vote and request the condemnation or acquittal of the defendants, individually. The minister is expected to propose a sentence for each of them.
If convicted, Bolsonaro could face more than 40 years in prison. However, it is not likely to be immediate. A defendant only starts serving the sentence after the case is finalized, meaning after all possibilities for appealing the decision have been exhausted. In their final arguments, most defendants alleged procedural violations and defense constraints. For example, they mention the impossibility of analyzing all available material, question Cid’s plea deal, and point out facts that were allegedly presented late.
Other recurring arguments include the alleged bias of the rapporteur, Alexandre de Moraes, and claims that the evidence presented by the Attorney General’s Office does not meet the standard required for a potential conviction. On the other hand, in its final arguments, the Attorney General’s Office requested the conviction of all defendants and emphasized the central role played by Bolsonaro in the attempted democratic rupture. According to the Attorney General, since the indictment was received by the First Panel of the Supreme Federal Court and, consequently, the criminal case was opened, a series of evidence has been collected that justifies the conviction.
Deixe um comentário