São Paulo, Brazil – Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others were indicted on Thursday by the Federal Police in connection with an alleged coup plot to subvert Brazil’s democracy. Authorities have charged the group with violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, attempted coup d’état, and criminal conspiracy.
The investigation, now concluded, accuses a network of individuals of orchestrating efforts to keep Bolsonaro in power following his defeat by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the October 2022 elections.
Among those indicted are key figures from Bolsonaro’s administration between 2019 and 2022, including retired army general Walter Braga Netto, Bolsonaro’s running mate in 2022 and former Minister of Defense; retired army general Augusto Heleno, the ex-chief of Institutional Security; Anderson Torres, former minister of justice; Alexandre Ramagem, former director of the Brazilian Intelligence Agency; and Valdemar Costa Neto, president of Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party.
The Federal Police allege the suspects operated through six coordinated units to divide responsibilities. One of them, for example, focused on spreading false narratives about Brazil’s electoral system while another sought to enlist military officers to join the coup effort. A separate intelligence cell reportedly monitored Supreme Court justices and other authorities, collecting information to support decisions aimed at enabling the alleged plot.
Investigators assert that Bolsonaro personally participated in efforts to disrupt the democratic transition, including spreading false claims about Brazil’s electoral process and encouraging his supporters to engage in anti-democratic activities.
The case has been built on evidence obtained through court-authorized wiretaps, digital data access, witness cooperation agreements, and materials collected throughout nearly two years of investigations.
The final report, spanning over 800 pages, has been submitted to the Supreme Federal Court. The court will now seek the opinion of the Attorney General’s Office before deciding whether to proceed with formal charges and a trial. Should Bolsonaro be convicted, he could face up to 28 years in prison.
This investigation is separate from ongoing inquiries into the January 8 2023 riots in Brasília, where supporters of Bolsonaro stormed government buildings. Those acts, though distinct, may have been fueled by hate speech and disinformation propagated by some of the individuals indicted this week.
Bolsonaro is already entangled in multiple legal battles. He was already indicted in the Saudi gifts scandal and for allegedly falsifying COVID-19 vaccination records. In June last year, he was convicted by the Electoral Court for promoting attacks and disinformation against the elections in Brazil, for which he will be ineligible until 2030.
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