Brazil's top prosecutor says Bolsonaro tried to overthrow democracy

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00:00Now, Brazil's Prosecutor General has argued that former President Jair Bolsonaro and his allies

00:04plotted to overthrow democracy through a series of interconnected events

00:08aimed at keeping him in power illegally.

00:11The claim as the ex-leaders' coup trial enters the verdict phase.

00:15The former right-wing presidents are accused of conspiring to stage a coup

00:19to stay in power despite losing the 2022 presidential election

00:23to the current president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

00:26But Bolsonaro, he denies any wrongdoing. He's repeatedly said the trial

00:30is a politically motivated attack.

00:33Well, earlier we spoke to correspondent Jan Anosco in Rio de Janeiro.

00:38Today was the start of the final act in this criminal investigation

00:42which has dominated headlines here in Brazil over the last two years.

00:47The words being used to describe it are historic, unprecedented,

00:52because never before has a former president of Brazil stood trial,

00:57charged and accused with trying to stage a coup d'etat.

01:01Not only that, but Bolsonaro is joined by seven other defendants,

01:05many of whom were in his government, three of whom are army generals,

01:08and one of whom was the former head of the navy.

01:12They're all accused of trying to overthrow democracy

01:15when Bolsonaro lost the 2022 election to President Lula.

01:19Now, the prosecution alleges that Bolsonaro was the leader

01:23of a criminal organization that, even before the election in 2022,

01:28tried to undermine the legitimacy of Brazil's election system,

01:32also attacked its democratic institutions,

01:35and spread fake news, all in an attempt to justify him

01:39clinging on to power in the event that he lost the election,

01:43which, of course, he did.

01:44Also under investigation is an alleged plot to kill President Lula,

01:50his vice president, and also Alexandre de Moraes,

01:53the Supreme Court Justice, who is presiding over this particular trial.

01:59Now, proceedings started this morning with Alexandre de Moraes

02:02reading a report into his investigation,

02:05and then the prosecution and defense lawyers

02:07were given the opportunity to state their cases.

02:10For the prosecution, the fact that Bolsonaro held meetings

02:14with members of his government and the military

02:17to discuss a potential coup,

02:19and also drafted a decree justifying him staying in power,

02:23is evidence that the plan to state a coup was already underway.

02:27And the only reason it didn't go ahead

02:29was the fact that the head of the army

02:31and the head of the air force refused to be involved.

02:34Bolsonaro's lawyer himself is yet to speak

02:38in this final stage of the trial,

02:41but the former president has denied all the charges,

02:44saying that he had no involvement in any attempt to stage a coup,

02:48and also pointing out that the transfer of power in 2023

02:52passed off peacefully.

02:53So, let's see if we can see it again.

02:54So, let's see if we can see it again.

02:55So, let's see if we can see it again.

02:56So, let's see if we can see it again.

02:57So, let's see if we can see it again.

02:58So, let's see if we can see it again.

02:59So, let's see if we can see it again.

03:00So, let's see if we can see it again.

03:01So, let's see if we can see it again.

03:02So, let's see if we can see it again.

03:03So, let's see if we can see it again.

03:04So, let's see if we can see it again.

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