AFP, Xinhua, Sputnik and Reuters
La Jornada Newspaper
Friday, November 22, 2024, p. 23
Brasilia. Federal police accused former Brazilian far-right president Jair Bolsonaro (2019-22) and 36 other people of attempting a coup to keep him in office after his defeat in the 2022 elections.
The investigation will be delivered to the Supreme Court of Brazil to be sent to the prosecutor of the case.
Bolsonaro, 69, appears on a list of 37 people who, according to the federal police, should be prosecuted for the crimes of violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d’état and criminal organizationaccording to a statement.
The police concluded an investigation in which they collected evidence for almost two years about the existence of a criminal organization that acted in a coordinated manner in 2022 in the attempt to keep the then president of the republic in power.
The former president accused the judge of the Supreme Court (the equivalent of the Supreme Court) handling the case of acting outside of the law. Magistrate Alexandre de Moraes directs the entire investigation, adjusts the testimonies, detains without charges, collects evidence and has a very creative team of advisors. Does everything the law doesn’t sayBolsonaro stated to the Brazilian media Metrópoles.
Bolsonaro seeks to be a presidential candidate in the 2026 elections, but is disqualified until 2030 for having uninformed on the electronic voting system. The maximum penalties for these crimes could reach 28 years in prison.
In addition to the former president, the police recommended prosecuting his former Minister of Defense, Walter Braga Netto, who was also his vice-presidential formula in the elections lost to Lula da Silva.
The same was recommended with other officials during Bolsonaro’s presidency, including the Minister of Justice, Anderson Torres; the Institutional Security Cabinet, General Augusto Heleno, and the head of intelligence, Alexandre Ramagem.
This is not the only investigation into coup plots that allegedly involve Bolsonarism.
Police arrested four senior military personnel on Tuesday, including a former collaborator of the former president, for an alleged plan to kill Lula and carry out a coup d’état in December 2022.
Three appear on the list of 37 released without it being known if what is attributed to them refers to the alleged murder plan.
The green and yellow Puñal plan would have been discussed at Braga’s house. It was printed in the Planalto palace, seat of the Brazilian presidency, according to the investigation.
Among the options to assassinate Lula, they supposedly considered a poisoning.