Former Brazilian President Indicted Over Alleged Coup Attempt

Authorities in Brazil have formally charged ex-President Jair Bolsonaro with attempting to stage a coup, escalating legal troubles for the former leader.

Brazil’s prosecutor general has accused former President Jair Bolsonaro of trying to stage a coup to maintain his position following his 2022 election loss. The allegations also involve a conspiracy to assassinate his successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Lula resumed the presidency of Brazil in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term after narrowly defeating Bolsonaro in October 2022. After the election, Bolsonaro contended that he had been wrongfully deprived of victory by alleging a “malfunction” impacted thousands of electronic voting machines.

On Tuesday, Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet stated that the former president and his running mate, General Walter Braga Netto—who was arrested on Saturday—were at the helm of a “criminal organization” aiming to take control of the country, according to an AP report. The allegations also involve schemes to poison the current president and assassinate Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

“The strategy was devised and presented to President Bolsonaro, who gave his approval,” according to Gonet’s 272-page indictment reviewed by the news agency.

In total, 34 individuals were reportedly charged in the scheme, including several military officials like Bolsonaro’s former national security adviser, retired General Augusto Heleno, and former Navy Commander Almir Garnier Santos.

Bolsonaro’s legal team refuted the allegations, expressing their “dismay and indignation” over the accusations. They maintained that the former president “has never supported any efforts to undermine democratic rule of law or its foundational institutions.”

The recent charges stemmed from a two-year police investigation into the election-denial movement, which resulted in riots by Bolsonaro’s supporters in the capital city shortly after President Lula assumed office in early 2023.

At that time, Bolsonaro was in the United States. However, he later urged for a cessation of the unrest and supported the transition to Lula’s government. As a result, he is now prohibited from holding public office in Brazil until 2030.

In November, the federal police issued a report accusing Bolsonaro of having a central role in planning and organizing an attempted coup. The report alleges that he proposed this idea to key military figures in an effort to prevent Lula from assuming office.

Analysts, as reported by Reuters, believe that Bolsonaro is unlikely to be arrested before the trial unless Supreme Court Justice Moraes, who is in charge of the case, considers him a flight risk.