MBABANE:Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro will stand trial for allegedly attempting to stage a coup against current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, after a ruling from the country's top court, the British Broadcasting Corporation(BBC) reported on Wednesday evening.
“The Supreme Court's five-member panel voted unanimously in favour of the trial going ahead.Bolsonaro, 70, denies trying to block Lula's inauguration and says he is the victim of “political persecution" aimed at preventing him from running for president in 2026.The trial could go ahead as early as this year. If found guilty, Bolsonaro could face years in prison,” reads the report in part.
The BBC further reported that, the panel was tasked with determining whether there was enough evidence to put Bolsonaro on trial.
The first to cast his vote on Wednesday was the judge heading the panel, Alexandre de Moraes.
He recommended that Bolsonaro, as well as seven other former government officials described by the attorney-general as “co-conspirators", stand trial over the events which led up to the storming of government buildings by his supporters on 8 January 2023, a week after Lula's inauguration.
Ex-Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro to stand trial for allegedly attempting to remove current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from power(pic: EPA).