BRAZIL: Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro has been charged in connection with an alleged coup attempt to overturn the results of the 2022 presidential election and prevent his opponent from taking office, according to documents filed by prosecutors on Tuesday evening.
Bolsonaro is among 34 individuals facing charges, including armed criminal organization, attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d’état, and damage qualified by violence.
Prosecutors say the plan started in 2021 to weaken public trust in Brazil's electronic voting system. In 2022, Bolsonaro allegedly met with ambassadors and diplomats to talk about voter fraud. According to prosecutors, this was an attempt to make the international community question the presidential election results.
Despite the lack of evidence supporting election fraud, the defendants allegedly continued their campaign to discredit the electoral process. Prosecutors also claim that Bolsonaro approved a plan to carry out the coup, which included the alleged intention to assassinate the elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his vice president.
The final attempt to overturn the election allegedly occurred on January 8, 2023, when Bolsonaro supporters were encouraged to gather in Brasília, where they stormed and vandalized Brazil's three branches of government. In November, Bolsonaro and 36 others were indicted as part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged coup plot.
The charges, now before the Supreme Court in Brasília, could lead to a high-profile trial. If the court formally accepts the charges, Bolsonaro and the others will become official defendants. Supreme Court justices aim to conclude the trial before the end of 2025 to prevent it from affecting Brazil's 2026 presidential election, although preliminary hearings are unlikely to begin before early March.
According to an 844-page indictment filed in November, federal police assert that Bolsonaro had "full knowledge" of the coup plan and that he "planned, acted in, and led directly and effectively" the operation to prevent Lula from assuming office.
Following the filing of the charges, Bolsonaro denied any wrongdoing. Speaking to journalists during a visit to the Senate in Brasília, he said he had "no concerns about the accusations, zero," and questioned the existence of any coup decree. According to media, Bolsonaro is currently in Brasília attempting to negotiate a potential amnesty deal.
If convicted, Bolsonaro could face up to 28 years in prison, according to media. In 2023, he was banned from holding public office for eight years following a separate investigation that found him guilty of abusing power and spreading misinformation about the integrity of Brazil's electoral system to foreign governments.
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