Brazil’s former president among dozens facing charges of attempting coup

World

Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro is among more than 30 people facing charges of allegedly attempting a coup after his electoral defeat in 2022.

Federal police have delivered the results of their investigation to the country’s supreme court, which must decide whether to refer them to prosecutor-general Paulo Gonet to bring formal charges.

The former right-wing president has denied claims he tried to stay in office after his narrow defeat to rival, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva – the leftist politician who won with 50.9% of the vote.

Mr Bolsonaro posted on X that investigators and the supreme court judge overseeing the case had been “creative” and done “everything the law does not say”.

The final police report completes a near two-year investigation into Mr Bolsonaro’s role in a movement which culminated in riots by his supporters that swept the capital, Brasilia, in January 2023.

Overall, around 1,500 supporters were detained.

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How Bolsonaro supporters stormed Congress in 2023.

Police have revealed the names of all 37 people who have been indicted as part of an alleged coup.

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They include dozens of Mr Bolsonaro’s former and current aides, along with military generals.

Image:
Protesters stand on the roof of the country’s parliament building after storming it in January 2023. Pic: AP

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Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters also trashed the interior of the National Congress building in Brasilia. Pic: AP

Earlier this week, police arrested five conspirators suspected of planning to assassinate Mr Lula, and his running mate, before they took office.

Mr Bolsonaro has faced a series of legal threats since losing in 2022. They focus on claims of diamond smuggling and falsifying COVID-19 vaccination documents – both of which he has denied.

Image:
Jair Bolsonaro still secures some political influence in Brazil, including at this protest against Brazil’s supreme court in September in Sao Paulo. Pic: Reuters

A separate investigation found he had abused his authority to cast doubt on the country’s voting system, and judges barred him from running again until 2030.

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Police have prepared a 700-page document describing details of the alleged coup attempt, which is likely to take several days for the supreme court to review.

Among those listed as potentially facing charges are: General Walter Braga Netto, who was his running mate in the 2022 campaign; former Army commander General Paulo Sergio Nogueira de Oliveira; Valdemar Costa Neto, the chairman of Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party; and his veteran former adviser, General Augusto Heleno.

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