Gonet makes final adjustments and the Supreme Court awaits charges against Bolsonaro and other orchestrators of the coup.
The expectation is that the Attorney General's Office will divide the indictment into parts, presenting it in batches. Bolsonaro supporters hope that Gonet will spare the former president in other investigations.
247 - The Attorney General's Office (PGR) is finalizing the indictment against Jair Bolsonaro (PL) for involvement in the coup plot aimed at preventing the inauguration of President Lula (PT). According to Malu Gaspar, from the newspaper... The GlobeThe Attorney General of the Republic, Paulo Gonet, is in the final stages of preparing the document, which should be presented before Carnival.
The Attorney General's strategy will be to divide the indictment into different batches, initially prioritizing the main orchestrators of the attempted coup. The first group should include Bolsonaro and General Walter Braga Netto. Ministers of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) believe that this division will facilitate the trial, allowing the cases to be analyzed separately and without overburdening the court, the newspaper also reports. The Globe.
Jair Bolsonaro was indicted by the Federal Police in November 2024 for three crimes: violent abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law, attempted coup d'état, and criminal organization, with penalties that could add up to 28 years in prison. The Federal Police investigation has 884 pages and details Bolsonaro's participation in the planning and execution of the coup plot. The document states that he "planned, acted, and had direct and effective control" over the actions, which did not materialize due to "circumstances beyond his control."
The trial at the Supreme Federal Court - The expectation is that the First Panel of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), composed of Justices Alexandre de Moraes, Cármen Lúcia, Luiz Fux, Flávio Dino, and Cristiano Zanin, will be responsible for analyzing the indictment. If the accusation is accepted, the court will open a criminal case against the defendants, beginning the evidence and testimony gathering phase. The trial could take place between September and October 2025.
At the Supreme Federal Court (STF), the expectation is that the indictment will be presented by the Attorney General's Office (PGR) by the end of February, with Moraes expediting the process. Members of the Court are considering increasing the frequency of sessions of the First Chamber to accelerate the handling of the case.
Bolsonaro's allies fear the repercussions. Members of the PL party, Bolsonaro's party, expect the Attorney General's Office to use different criteria in the three cases involving the former president: the attempted coup, the vaccination fraud, and the Saudi jewelry scandal. While they admit the charges for the coup will be harsh, allies hope Gonet will be more lenient in the other cases, according to Bela Megale of the newspaper. The Globe.
However, the Federal Police believe that the Attorney General's Office should file charges against Bolsonaro on all fronts of the investigation, following the conclusions of the inquiry. The pressure on the former president has intensified with the arrest of former aides and military personnel linked to his government, increasing the pressure for the case to be judged rigorously.
Next steps - The Attorney General's Office (PGR) has been working with a dedicated team to review the documents and substantiate the accusations. During his vacation in January, Gonet personally reviewed the case files to ensure the robustness of the accusation. The Attorney General has already filed 256 indictments with the Supreme Federal Court (STF) and the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) since taking office, with 92,5% of them related to the events of January 8, 2023.
With the indictment imminent, the political and legal future of Bolsonaro and his allies remains uncertain. If convicted, the former president could face years in prison and be barred from holding office indefinitely.
