Brazil’s ex-President charged over alleged coup plot

Bolsonaro, 69, and his co-accused were hit with five charges over the alleged bid to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office after a bitter election race.
Attorney General Paulo Gonet Branco filed the charges at the Supreme Court "based on manuscripts, digital files, spreadsheets and exchanges of messages that reveal the scheme to disrupt the democratic order," his office said in a statement.

"They describe, in detail, the conspiratorial plot set up and executed against democratic institutions."

One of the charges is for the crime of "armed criminal organization," allegedly led by Bolsonaro and his vice-presidential candidate Walter Braga Netto, reports AFP.

"Allied with other individuals, including civilians and military personnel, they attempted to prevent, in a coordinated manner, the result of the 2022 presidential elections from being fulfilled," read the statement.

The prosecutor's office based its decision on a federal police report of over 800 pages, released last year after a two-year investigation which found Bolsonaro was "fully aware and actively participated" in the plot to cling to power.

Bolsonaro has denied the accusations and said he was the victim of "persecution."

"The attempted coup d'etat... has become an empty accusation, which has absolutely no evidence against Bolsonaro," his son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, wrote on X.

'The final attempt'

According to the statement from Branco's office, the plot began in 2021, with "systematic attacks on the electronic voting system, through public statements and on the internet."

During the second round of the presidential election in October 2022, security agencies were mobilized to "prevent voters from voting for the opposition candidate," said the statement.

Those involved at this stage worked to facilitate "the acts of violence and vandalism on January 8, 2023," when Bolsonaro supporters stormed the presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court in Brasilia.

The attorney general's office said the criminal organization headed by Bolsonaro had pressured army chiefs "in favor of forceful actions in the political scene to prevent the elected president from taking office."

Investigations also showed a plot to assassinate Lula, vice-president Geraldo Alckmin and a high-profile judge with "the approval of" Bolsonaro.

According to the statement, the January 8 riots by Bolsonaro supporters urging the military to intervene were "the final attempt."

The Supreme Court will now weigh the charges and decide whether to initiate proceedings against Bolsonaro.

Hours before the charges were filed, Bolsonaro told journalists in the capital Brasilia that he had "no concern" about the possibility of being indicted.

He was speaking at the Senate, where he has been pushing for an amnesty for his supporters who were imprisoned after the Brasilia riots.

The Supreme Court has convicted almost 400 people over the invasion of the seats of power.

Seeking the presidency again

Bolsonaro, who was in the United States on the day of the riots, dismissed the accusation against him in a recent interview with CNN Brasil.

"What coup is this? That they accuse me of? Of being there in Orlando, at Disney, with Mickey, Goofy and Donald Duck, planning a coup here in Brazil?"

Asked what would happen if he were arrested, Bolsonaro said: "I'm going to jail, I'm not leaving Brazil. I'm not going to flee Brazil."

The president of Brazil's top court, Luis Roberto Barroso, said on Monday that Bolsonaro would be judged without "a politicized vision."

Bolsonaro has been barred from holding public office until 2030 for casting doubts on Brazil's voting system during his failed reelection campaign.

However, despite being bogged down in legal woes, he is trying to challenge the length of his political ban in a bid to run for office again in 2026 elections.