By Ricardo Brito
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro faces an “obviously unfavorable” climate as he seeks to keep his political career alive in a trial this week, his lawyer said, adding that his client would appeal to the Supreme Court if he loses.
Bolsonaro, a far-right nationalist who lost an October election to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, goes before the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) on Thursday, accused of abusing his authority last year when he summoned ambassadors to air baseless claims about the security of Brazil’s voting system.
Thursday’s hearing marks a reckoning for Bolsonaro, who never acknowledged Lula’s victory and is accused of inspiring thousands of his supporters to invade government buildings in Brasilia on Jan. 8.
If Bolsonaro loses his case before the TSE, it could render him ineligible to run for political office until 2030 – a serious blow for a career politician who was, until recently, Brazil’s most powerful man.
Yet that may not be the end of Bolsonaro’s troubles. He also faces multiple criminal investigations that could put him behind bars.
In an interview before Bolsonaro’s day in court, his lawyer Tarcisio Vieira said circumstances were stacked against his client because of an “obviously unfavorable” press and resentment among the judicial and political classes.
Vieira, a former TSE justice, said the evidence against Bolsonaro was “weak,” as it is based on a meeting that took place before the campaign season had officially kicked off.
He also criticized the inclusion in the case of a draft decree to overturn the result of the election, found at the house of Bolsonaro’s former justice minister, saying it conflated separate incidents to create a more damning narrative.
Vieira said the idea of a coup “never crossed the mind of the president.”
Bolsonaro was serene as he awaited his judgment but if he were to lose, Vieira said he would appeal to the TSE and the Supreme Court.
(Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Editing by Gabriel Stargardter and Grant McCool)
