Ex-Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro charged over coup plot

Brazil’s Attorney-General has formally charged far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro and 33 others over an alleged coup attempt.

Former president Jair Bolsonaro at the Senate in Brasilia. Picture: AFP

Brazil’s Attorney-General has formally charged far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro and 33 others over an alleged coup attempt after his 2022 election defeat.

Mr 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 on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT).

One of the charges is for the crime of “armed criminal organisation”, allegedly led by Mr Bolsonaro and his vice-presidential candidate Walter Braga Netto. “Allied with other individuals, including civilians and military personnel, they attempted to prevent, in a co-ordinated manner, the ­result of the 2022 presidential elections from being fulfilled,” the prosecutor’s office said.

It based its decision on a federal police report of more than 800 pages, released last year after a two-year investigation that found Mr Bolsonaro was “fully aware and actively participated” in the plot to cling to power.

The former president has ­denied the accusations and said he was the victim of “persecution”.

Mr Branco’s office said 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 mobilised to “prevent voters from voting for the opposition candidate”.

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 the Supreme Court.

The Attorney-General’s office said the criminal organisation headed by Mr Bolsonaro had pressured army chiefs “in favour of forceful actions in the political scene to prevent the elected president from taking office”.

Investigations also showed a plot to assassinate Mr Lula, Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin and a high-profile judge with “the ­approval of” Mr Bolsonaro.

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 Mr Bolsonaro. Hours before the charges were filed, Mr Bolsonaro said in Brasilia that he had “no concern” about the possibility of being indicted.

AFP