Brazilian federal police have published a report implicating former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in an alleged criminal organisation designed to overturn the 2022 presidential election, won by his leftist challenger and current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The 884-page report, made public on Tuesday, outlined eight main pieces of evidence against Bolsonaro, including an alleged meeting he took with members of Brazil’s armed forces to plan the coup.
“The evidence collected throughout the investigation shows unequivocally that then-President Jair Messias Bolsonaro planned, acted and was directly and effectively aware of the actions of the criminal organisation aiming to launch a coup d’etat and eliminate the democratic rule of law,” the report explained.
Prior to its release, the report was sent to Brazil’s top prosecutor, Paulo Gonet, who has yet to decide whether to bring charges against Bolsonaro.
The report expands on bombshell accusations last week that Bolsonaro and 36 others conspired to retain power, even in the event of an electoral defeat.
Among the officials named were former Minister of Defence Walter Braga Netto, ex-National Security Adviser Augusto Heleno, former Minister of Justice and Public Security Anderson Torres and the head of Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party, Valdemar Costa Neto.
The police accusations are the latest in a string of investigations and legal woes for Bolsonaro, who led Brazil from 2019 to 2022.
Bolsonaro has denied all claims he tried to stay in office after his narrow electoral defeat in October 2022.
But already, his baseless claims about the accuracy of the election have prompted Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE) to bar him from holding office again until 2030.
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