Brazil (TIP): Brazil’s federal police have indicted former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others for allegedly attempting to orchestrate a coup to keep him in power following his defeat in the 2022 elections. The findings, submitted to Brazil’s Supreme Court on Thursday which termed it a coordinated attempt to “violently dismantle the constitutional state”, will now await a decision on whether Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet will formally press charges or dismiss the case.
Bolsonaro, a right-wing leader, has denied any attempts to cling to office after narrowly losing to his rival, leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Since then, he has faced multiple legal challenges.
The federal police released a brief statement confirming that the Supreme Court had approved the disclosure of all 37 names implicated “to avoid the dissemination of incorrect news.” Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes noted that the extensive 700-page document would require several days to review.
Among those indicted are prominent allies of Bolsonaro, including his 2022 running mate Gen. Walter Braga Netto, former Army commander Gen. Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira, Valdemar Costa Neto, chairman of Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party, and longtime adviser Gen. Augusto Heleno.
The investigation, launched last year, led to the arrests on Tuesday of four military officials and a federal police officer accused of plotting to overthrow the government, including alleged plans to assassinate President Lula and other top officials.
Other ongoing inquiries involve Bolsonaro’s alleged smuggling of diamond jewellery into Brazil without proper declaration and accusations that he instructed subordinates to falsify COVID-19 vaccination records. Bolsonaro has denied involvement in these cases.
A separate probe concluded that Bolsonaro abused his authority to undermine confidence in Brazil’s voting system, leading to a judicial ruling barring him from running for office until 2030. (Reuters)