Brazil’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro to stand trial on charges of plotting a coup, in a case that could torpedo his hopes of making a Donald Trump-style political comeback.
The trial would be the first of an ex-leader accused of attempting to take power by force since Brazil’s return to democracy in 1985 following two decades of military dictatorship.
A five-judge panel of the Supreme Court voted unanimously to put Bolsonaro on trial after finding there was sufficient evidence against him.
Bolsonaro was not in court for the ruling, but in comments to reporters he condemned the allegations as “unfounded”.
“It seems they have something personal against me,” he said.