RIO DE JANEIRO - Luis Roberto Barroso, president of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court, defended the country's independent judiciary after criticism from US President Donald Trump.

In a letter addressed to Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva last week, Trump said he would impose a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods, citing the alleged "unfair treatment" of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on trial for attempting a coup.

Trump also questioned the court's decisions regarding Bolsonaro's allies in the United States, claiming they harmed US technology companies.

In a letter released Sunday night, Barroso rejected Trump's allegations, saying his position was based on an "imprecise understanding of the facts" and affirmed that "in today's Brazil, no one is persecuted."

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Barroso stressed that the ongoing trial strictly adheres to due process and is being conducted with transparency.

Bolsonaro, who served as Brazilian president from 2019 to 2022, is accused of plotting to stay in power through the use of violence after losing his reelection bid to Lula.