Brazil police accuse ex-president of coup plot
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Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro (left) in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in February. Photo: Ettore Chiereguini/Anadolu via Getty Images
Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro was formally accused of being involved in an attempted a coup over his 2022 election loss to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the country's police announced Thursday.
The big picture: The proposed indictments against Bolsonaro and 36 others conclude the Brazilian federal police's two-year investigation into the fallout from the election that the populist leader never formally conceded, which saw his supporters storm the presidential palace and other government buildings on Jan. 8, 2023.
- "Federal police concluded on Thursday the investigation into the existence of a criminal organization that acted in a coordinated way in [2022] in an attempt to maintain the then-president in power," the federal police said in a statement, per an AFP translation.
- "The final report has been sent to the Supreme Court with the request that 37 individuals be indicted for the crimes of the violent overthrow of the democratic state, coup d'etat and criminal organization."
Between the lines: The police recommendations mark a major setback for the right-wing leader and his allies who took inspiration from President-elect Trump's reelection this month.
- Bolsonaro is seeking to reverse a court ruling barring him from running for office for eight years over his false claims about Brazil's voting system, as he seeks to run again in 2026.
What he's saying: Bolsonaro said on X that he had yet to see the indictment that wasn't immediately publicly released and will wait until he has spoken to his lawyer on the matter.
- He has always denied any responsibility for the riot and accused the courts of political persecution.
What's next: Brazil's Supreme Court will weigh whether to refer the matter to the country's prosecutor-general, who would have to decide whether to formally charge Bolsonaro and his co-accused to face trial or dismiss the investigation.
Go deeper: Brazil court bars Bolsonaro from running for office for eight years
Editor's note: This story was corrected to note that the police investigation focused on activities in 2022 (not 2002 as stated in a translated text).
