Brazilian police formally charged Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others for attempted coup in 2022

Published at: 21/11/2024 06:12 PM

This Thursday, November 21, the Brazilian Police recommended that former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro be indicted for an attempted “coup d'etat”, in order to prevent the inauguration of leftist Luiz Inácio da Silva after his victory in the 2022 elections.

The institution charges 37 people, including several high-ranking military personnel, for the crimes of “violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d'etat and illegal association,” as reported in a note, reported on the France 24 website.

Bolsonaro, who governed the country between 2019 and 2022, is among those singled out by the Federal Police, as well as some generals, former ministers and former advisors of his Government.

On the list is Walter Braga Netto, reserve general of the Army and who was minister of the Presidency and of Defense, as well as a candidate for vice-president as Bolsonaro's formula in 2022; and Almir Garnier Santos, former commander of the Navy.

Lula narrowly won the October 2022 elections against the leader of the Brazilian extreme right, who never acknowledged his defeat.

From there, a series of serious incidents occurred that tried to prevent the inauguration of the progressive leader, which ended up happening on January 1, 2023.

There were blockades of truck drivers on roads, camps in front of barracks calling for “military intervention” and serious disturbances in Brasilia, including an attempted explosive attack on a tanker truck near Brasilia's airport.

The investigation confirmed the existence of a plot that acted “in a coordinated manner”, after the 2022 elections, to “try to keep” Bolsonaro in power.

Just this week, Brazilian authorities arrested four soldiers and a Federal Police agent accused of devising a plan for the assassination of Lula da Silva, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and Supreme Judge Alexandre de Moraes, the investigator of the case.

The objective, according to the investigation, was to assassinate Lula and Alckmin and to create a “crisis committee” composed of soldiers related to Bolsonaro. The plans considered poisoning as a way to take the life of the formula that won the 2022 elections.

One of those arrested in that operation was reserve general Mario Fernandes, who appears on the list of defendants released this Thursday by the Police.

The final report of the Federal Police, which is more than 700 pages long, was sent to the Supreme Court, which oversees the case.

The document states that those investigated “structured” themselves in different groups to carry out the coup. They were groups with tasks such as spreading lies, inciting the military, seeking legal solutions; executing coup plans and even intelligence plans.

The Attorney General of Brazil, Paulo Gonet, will now be responsible for analyzing the police report and whether or not to file a formal complaint with the Supreme Court against those under investigation.

Mazo News Team