Brazilian Federal Police said on Thursday that they had charged former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 other people with attempting a coup to keep him in office after his defeat in the 2022 elections.
Police said their findings will be delivered on Thursday to Brazil’s Supreme Court, which must decide whether to refer them to Attorney General Paulo Jeunet, who will formally charge and prosecute Bolsonaro, or halt the investigation.
The former right-wing president denied all allegations that he tried to remain in office after his narrow electoral defeat in 2022 by his rival, leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro has faced a series of legal threats since then.
The police said in a brief statement that the Supreme Court agreed to reveal the names of all 37 people who were charged “to avoid spreading incorrect news.” Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the 700-page police document would likely take several days for the court to review.
Dozens of former and current Bolsonaro aides have also been indicted, including General Walter Braga Neto, who was his running mate in the 2022 campaign; former army commander General Paulo Sergio Nogueira de Oliveira; Waldemar Costa Neto, head of Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party; And his former veteran advisor, General Augusto Heleno.
The investigation began last year. On Tuesday, four military personnel and a federal police officer were arrested as part of the same investigation.
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Other investigations focus on Bolosnaro’s possible roles in smuggling diamond jewelry into Brazil without properly declaring it, and in directing a subordinate to falsify his and others’ coronavirus vaccination status. Bolsonaro has denied any involvement in either.
Another investigation concluded that he abused his power to question the country’s voting system, and judges barred him from running again until 2030.
Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper University in São Paulo, said the far-reaching investigations have weakened Bolsonaro’s standing as the leader of Brazil’s right-wing.
“Bolsonaro is already banned from running in the 2026 elections,” Melo told the Associated Press.
“If he is convicted he could also be imprisoned by then. To avoid remaining behind bars, he will have to convince Supreme Court judges that he had nothing to do with the plot that involved dozens of his aides. “This is a very tall order,” Milo said.
Federal police on Tuesday arrested four military personnel and a federal police officer accused of plotting to overthrow the government after the 2022 elections, including alleged plans to kill Lula and other senior officials.
& Edition 2024 The Canadian Press
