Ex-Brazilian president Bolsonaro charged with coup plot to overthrow govt

The charges against the former Brazilian President come after a two-year police investigation into the election-denying movement that led to riots by Bolsonaro supporters in the capital in early 2023

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been charged with leading a plan to overthrow the government after losing the 2022 election, according to a report by Reuters. 

 

Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet accused Bolsonaro and 33 others of forming a ‘criminal organisation’ to keep him in power. The plan allegedly included poisoning President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and attacking democracy.

 

The charges come after a two-year police investigation into the election-denying movement that culminated in riots by Bolsonaro supporters in the capital in early 2023, a week after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office.

 

“The responsibility for acts harmful to the democratic order falls upon a criminal organisation led by Jair Messias Bolsonaro,” said the charge sheet.

 

Riots and coup plot

After losing the election in 2022, Bolsonaro’s supporters rioted in the capital, Brasilia, in early 2023. Many believed a military coup was about to happen. A Supreme Court document says Bolsonaro and his allies wanted to control all three branches of government. The plot was called ‘Green and Yellow Dagger’, referring to Brazil’s national colours.

 

Bolsonaro denies charges

Bolsonaro has denied all accusations. “I have no concerns about the accusations, zero,” he told journalists. His lawyers also said he never supported actions against democracy.

 

Meanwhile, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of the former president, criticised the charges in a post on X, calling them an “unconstitutional and immoral mission to serve Alexandre de Moraes’ whims and Lula’s sinister agenda.”

 

Tuesday’s indictment marks the first time Bolsonaro has been charged with a crime, though he has faced several legal challenges to his conduct as president since he lost his reelection bid.

 

What happens next?

According to the report, the Supreme Court will decide whether to hold a trial. If convicted, Bolsonaro could face over 12 years in prison. He is already banned from running for office until 2030 for claiming the 2022 election was rigged.

 

“There is a 99 per cent chance that the Supreme Court will accept the charges,” said Vera Chemim, a constitutional lawyer in Sao Paulo. “But to convict Bolsonaro, the Supreme Court will need robust evidence.”

 

The case is being compared to charges against former US President Donald Trump, who was accused of trying to overturn the 2020 election.

 

[With inputs from Reuters]