Brazilian Police Accuse Bolsonaro and Military Officials of Plotting a Coup Against Lula
Far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro. X/ @el_pais
November 22, 2024 Hour: 8:15 am
There was a coordinated plot aimed at keeping in power the far-right leader despite his loss to Lula in the 2022 election.
On Thursday, Brazil’s Federal Police filed charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others, including high-ranking military officers and former ministers, for attempting to orchestrate a coup d’etat against President Lula da Silva, following the 2022 elections.
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After two years of investigation, the police concluded that there was a “coordinated” plot aimed at “keeping in power” the far-right leader despite his loss to Lula in the 2022 election.
Bolsonaro, who is already subject to precautionary measures, including the retention of his passport, was allegedly involved in the coup conspiracy along with former ministers and senior Armed Forces officials, according to the police.
Charges have been filed against all of them for “violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d’etat, and criminal association.” Combined sentences for these crimes could amount to 30 years in prison.
The report states that the plot “was structured” into various groups tasked with spreading fake news, inciting military action, seeking legal loopholes, carrying out coup activities, and conducting intelligence operations. The 700-page document was submitted to the Supreme Court, which will forward it to the Attorney General’s Office. The latter will decide whether to formally press charges.
The Attorney General has a 15-day deadline from the date of receiving the report to file a formal complaint, although this timeline could be extended if additional information is requested from the police.
This is the third time Bolsonaro has faced police accusations. Earlier this year, he was charged with the alleged misappropriation of valuable jewelry meant to be part of the state’s assets and with falsifying COVID-19 vaccination certificates. Additionally, the Electoral Court disqualified him last year from holding office until 2030 for undermining democratic institutions.
The Key Figures in the Plot
Besides Bolsonaro, the accused include Walter Braga Netto, a retired general and former minister of the presidency and defense during Bolsonaro’s administration. Braga Netto also ran as Bolsonaro’s vice-presidential candidate in 2022.
Others implicated are Almir Garnier Santos, former Navy commander, and retired generals Augusto Heleno and Paulo Sergio Nogueira, who were part of Bolsonaro’s cabinet. A pivotal figure is Bolsonaro’s former aide, Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, who has signed a judicial cooperation agreement.
Charges have also been filed against commissioners Alexandre Ramagem, former head of the Intelligence Agency, and Anderson Torres, former Minister of Justice; as well as Valdemar Costa Neto, president of the Liberal Party (PL), to which Bolsonaro belongs.
During the investigation, drafts of decrees to declare a “state of siege,” annul the election results, and intervene in the Electoral Court were discovered. One draft was found at Anderson Torres’s home, and another in Bolsonaro’s office at the PL headquarters in Brasilia. Various testimonies also accuse Bolsonaro, a retired Army captain, of reviewing and modifying the document to finalize the coup. Suspicions are further supported by phone calls, messages, and financial transactions involving the accused.
Bolsonaro denied the accusations, attributing them to the “creativity” of Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the case.
“De Moraes conducts the entire investigation, manipulates testimonies, arrests without charges, casts wide nets to fish for evidence, and has a rather creative advisory team,” Bolsonaro stated on social media.
A Plan to Assassinate Lula
Alongside the plot in official circles, there was also an effort to force the coup through public actions. This week, the police arrested four military personnel and a police officer accused of planning the assassination of Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and Justice De Moraes.
According to the investigation, the goal was to kill all three and establish a military “crisis committee.” The plans reportedly included poisoning as a method to eliminate the president. One of those arrested in the operation was retired General Mario Fernandes, who is also among those named in the charges disclosed by the police.
During these tumultuous months, there were roadblocks, camps outside military barracks calling for a “military intervention,” and serious unrest in Brasilia, including an attempted bombing of a fuel truck near the capital’s airport.
The culmination occurred on January 8, 2023, one week after Lula’s inauguration, when thousands of far-right activists stormed the Supreme Court, Congress, and Presidential Palace, attempting to incite the military to overthrow Lula.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
