SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazilian police released a report on Thursday formally accusing former President Jair Bolsonaro, an icon of the global far-right movement, of plotting a coup attempt to stop rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office after the leftist leader won the 2022 election.
The report is a blow to Bolsonaro’s plans to run for president again in 2026 – and the latest in a series of criminal investigations that could eventually lead to jail time. The former president has not yet been charged in any of the cases, but last year he was banned from running for office until 2030 by Brazil’s top electoral court. He has denied any wrongdoing.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE INVESTIGATIONS OF AN ALLEGED COUP?
Federal police spent nearly two years investigating Bolsonaro’s alleged role in the election-denying movement that culminated in riots by his supporters that swept the capital, Brasilia, in January 2023, just a week after Lula took office.
Earlier this year, Bolsonaro’s former aide-de-camp said Bolsonaro had seen and modified a draft decree to scrap election results and lock up Supreme Court judges. Former army and air force commanders also told investigators that Bolsonaro was involved in plans to overthrow democracy.
WHY IS BOLSONARO BLOCKED FROM RUNNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE?
In June 2023, Brazil’s federal electoral court barred Bolsonaro from seeking public office until 2030 due to his baseless attacks on the legitimacy of the country’s elections.
The court found that he abused his power and misused the media when he summoned ambassadors in July 2022 to vent unfounded claims of vulnerabilities in Brazil’s electronic voting system a few months ahead of the presidential election.
WHAT OTHER CRIMINAL CASES DOES BOLSONARO FACE?
In March, Brazilian police formally accused Bolsonaro of defrauding vaccination records to falsely show he was immunized against COVID-19.
The police found that one of his former aides had falsified vaccination records for the former president and his daughter Laura at Bolsonaro’s request in 2022, before they traveled to the U.S., where the records were required for entry.
In July, police accused Bolsonaro of embezzling jewelry he received in 2021, while he was president. The jewelry was valued at $3.2 million and included a diamond necklace, a ring, a watch and earrings given to Bolsonaro and former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro by the Saudi government.
Brazil’s prosecutor general is expected to weigh those two cases along with the police report on the alleged coup plot before bringing any charges against Bolsonaro early next year.
(Reporting by Manuela Andreoni; Editing by Brad Haynes and Paul Simao)
