Brazil police indict ex-president Bolsonaro over coup plot

Brazil's federal police indicted former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 other former ministers and aides on Thursday for an alleged coup plot to keep him in office after his electoral defeat in 2022.

The police made this formal accusation in a sealed report submitted to the Supreme Court. The court is expected to refer the report to Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who will decide if Bolsonaro is to be formally charged and put on trial.

"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," the federal police said in a statement.

The report is the result of a nearly two-year investigation into Bolsonaro's role in denying the outcome of the elections which ultimately led to riots in Brasilia in January 2023 — just a week after victor President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office.

Reuters reported that investigators have found evidence that Bolsonaro knew of the alleged plan, citing police sources.

Thursday's indictment is one of many but takes center stage in Brazil's attempt to bring Bolsonaro to justice. It comes as the latest blow to the former president's plan to run for office in 2026.

What did Bolsonaro say?

The former president took to social media to say he was being falsely accused. 

"We have to see what is in this indictment by the Federal Police. I will wait for the lawyer. This, obviously, will go to the Attorney General's Office. It is at the PGR (Prosecutor General of the Republic) that the fight begins. I cannot expect anything from a team that uses creativity to denounce me," he wrote, quoting his interview to local news website Metropoles. 

The outlet reported that the police indictment was 800 pages long.

Bolsonaro further accused Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes — who lead the investigation — of acting unlawfully.

"Minister Alexandre de Moraes leads the entire investigation, adjusts statements, arrests without reporting, fishes for evidence and has a very creative advisory team. He does everything that the law does not say", Bolsonaro said.

What do we know about the coup plot?

As per the police, the alleged plot was birthed in the final months of Bolsonaro's presidency.

Evidence based on search warrants, wiretaps, financial records and plea bargain testimony show that conspirators divided their efforts between spreading disinformation, inciting the army to join the coup and operational support for the same.

The conspirators accused include two of Bolsonaro's former defense ministers, his national security advisor, former navy commander and former justice minister.

Police on Tuesday arrested five people suspected of an assassination plan targeting President Lula and his running mate Geraldo Alckmin, days before they took office.

The arrests included a deputy minister in Bolsonaro's cabinet who possessed a document outlining the plan which had been printed in the presidential palace.

Investigators have reportedly confirmed that the former president was at the palace when the document was printed and evidence from cell phone conversations suggest that he was aware of the plot.

At the time of the 2022 riots, many protestors had said they wanted to create chaos to justify a military coup.

mk/zc (AP, AFP, Reuters)