Brazilian police said Thursday they charged former President Jair Bolsonaro with 36 other people for allegedly plotting a coup to keep him in office after he lost the 2022 election.
The police said that what they found was presented on Thursday to the Supreme Court of Brazil, which must decide whether to refer it to the Attorney General Paulo Gonet, who will formally indict Bolsonaro and then go on trial, or dismiss the investigation.
The former right-wing president dismissed all allegations that he tried to stay in office after his 2022 election defeat to his rival, leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro has faced a series of legal threats since then.
Police said in a brief statement that the Supreme Court agreed to reveal the names of all 37 people charged “to avoid spreading wrong news.” The 700-page police document will take several days for the court to review, said Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes.
A number of former and current Bolsonaro aides were also charged, including Gen. Walter Braga Netto, his former running mate in the 2022 campaign; former military commander Gen. Paulo Sergio Nogueira de Oliveira; Valdemar Costa Neto, chairman of Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party; and his veteran advisor, Gen. Augusto Heleno.
The investigation began last year. On Tuesday, four soldiers and one police agent were arrested as part of the same investigation.
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Other investigations have focused on Bolosnaro’s possible roles in smuggling diamond jewelry to Brazil without properly declaring it, as well as directing a subordinate to falsify his COVID-19 vaccination status with others. Bolsonaro has denied any involvement in either.
Another investigation found that he abused his authority to question the country’s voting system, and judges barred him from running again until 2030.
The far-reaching investigation has weakened Bolsonaro’s position as leader of Brazil’s right wing, said Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper University in Sao Paulo.
“Bolsonaro is already banned from running in the 2026 elections,” Melo told the Associated Press.
“And if he is found guilty, he may be arrested at that time. In order to avoid jail time, he will have to convince High Court judges that he is not involved in a conspiracy involving a number of his helpers. That is a very long process,” said Melo.
On Tuesday, police arrested four soldiers and a police officer accused of trying to overthrow the government after the 2022 elections, including allegedly plotting to kill Lula and other top officials.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
