Brazilian judges accept charges against Bolsonaro allies in coup plot

A panel of Brazil's Supreme Court justices unanimously accepted criminal charges Tuesday against six more key allies of former President Jair Bolsonaro over an alleged coup plot to keep him in office after his 2022 election defeat.

Last month, the panel unanimously accepted charges against Bolsonaro and seven close allies over the alleged coup plot following his loss to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and ordered the former right wing leader to stand trial.

When Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet accused Bolsonaro and 33 others of attempting a coup, he divided them into five different groups, based on their roles and positions in the alleged plot. 

Bolsonaro and his closest allies, including running mate Gen. Braga Netto, were placed in the core group, according to the charges. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court panel reviewed charges against the second group, which Gonet said held managerial roles.

The second group includes former presidential foreign affairs adviser Filipe Martins, retired Gen. Mario Fernandes, former Federal Highway Police director Silvinei Vasques, former presidential aide Col. Marcelo Camara and two federal police officers, Fernando Oliveira and Marilia Alencar.

These individuals coordinated actions planned by the core group, Gonet said in the indictment. These included mobilising police officers to support the alleged coup, monitoring authorities and drafting a document intended to justify a state of emergency.

Bolsonaro and his allies have repeatedly denied wrongdoing. The former president says that he's being politically persecuted.

Bolsonaro has been hospitalised for more than a week, recovering from bowel surgery. On Monday, from his hospital bed in Brasilia, he gave an interview to local television network SBT and said that his trial wasn't technical, but political.

Under Brazilian law, a coup conviction alone carries a sentence of up to 12 years, but when combined with the other charges, it could result in a sentence of decades behind bars. The former president is expected to stand trial in the next few months at Brazil's Supreme Court.