Name, civil status and occupation. Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro (2018 - 2022) introduced himself as any ordinary defendant on Tuesday, June 10, alongside seven others, before Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Supreme Federal Court (STF). Under the white neon lights of Annex II-B of the Brasília court – transformed into a criminal jury for the first trial of a former president for attempted coup d'état – the judges heard the "core group" from the plot that aimed to prevent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's return to office and keep Bolsonaro in power, after his loss at the polls in October 2022. Bolsonaro, whom the federal police accused of having a "direct and active" role in the coup attempt, was at the center of attention throughout these two days of hearings. At stake: a sentence of up to 43 years in prison.

Well aware of the charges he faces, the reserve captain and former president adopted a courteous tone. Yet over the past four years, Bolsonaro has not shied away from attacking Justice Moraes, who has become his nemesis. On Tuesday, the far-right leader even went so far as to apologize for remarks made at a meeting with associates in July 2022, during which he accused Moraes and two other STF justices of having received between $30 million and $50 million in bribes to manipulate the election. "It slipped out (...) I did not intend to accuse you of any misconduct," the defendant pleaded, sounding sheepish.

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