Brazil’s Federal Police have formally accused former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others of orchestrating a coup to maintain his hold on power. The accusations are laid out in an 884-page report that details a multi-step plan, supported by evidence and testimonies.
The alleged plot involved spreading misinformation about Brazil’s electoral system, drafting a decree to give the scheme a semblance of legality, pressuring military leaders to support the plan, and ultimately inciting a riot in the capital. Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet is now tasked with determining whether to formally charge those involved, discard the investigation, or request additional testimony to clarify each person’s role in the conspiracy before deciding who will face trial.
Bolsonaro and his allies deny any wrongdoing, claiming they are the victims of political persecution.
Efforts to Undermine Trust in Brazil’s Voting System
The investigation points to efforts beginning in 2019, during Bolsonaro’s first year in office, to spread fake news about the country’s electronic voting system. However, these efforts intensified during the lead-up to the 2022 presidential election. Police suggest that pro-Bolsonaro groups and right-wing influencers formed “digital militias” to disseminate baseless claims that the voting system was vulnerable to manipulation. Bolsonaro himself openly expressed admiration for Brazil’s former military dictatorship, which he claimed had saved the country from communism.
In the months before the election, Bolsonaro invited diplomats to the presidential palace for a televised presentation where he made unsubstantiated claims about potential flaws in the voting system. After losing the election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro’s party questioned the legitimacy of the results, suggesting that certain voting machines may have allowed for fraud. The Supreme Electoral Court dismissed these claims swiftly.
A Draft Decree to Launch the Coup
In January 2023, a draft decree was discovered at the home of Bolsonaro’s former justice minister, Anderson Torres. The document outlined a plan to form a committee to investigate alleged election fraud, potentially paving the way to suspend the powers of the electoral court and call for a new election. This draft, which was presented to military leaders in December 2022, was one of several variations considered by Bolsonaro and his allies. The navy’s commander reportedly supported the plan, but both the army and air force commanders opposed it, preventing the scheme from being executed.
Legal experts argue that this document is highly damaging, as it shows an attempt to unduly interfere with the electoral process. Bolsonaro, however, dismissed the accusations, claiming that evaluating emergency measures, such as a state of emergency, is part of the constitutional process.
Assassination Plot Against Lula and Others
In November 2023, Brazilian police arrested four army special operations officers and a federal police officer in connection with a plot to assassinate President-elect Lula, Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The plot aimed to leave Bolsonaro’s ticket as the only valid one in the 2022 runoff election. General Walter Braga Netto, Bolsonaro’s running mate and former defense minister, is alleged to have approved the assassination plan at a meeting with the conspirators.
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While no attempts to assassinate these figures were made, investigators found evidence that the plotters had been monitoring and following de Moraes. Police also discovered that Brig. Gen. Mário Fernandes, one of the arrested officers, had supported the protesters who camped outside military headquarters in Brasilia.
The January 8 Uprising
The Federal Police also connected Bolsonaro to the January 8, 2023, uprising, in which his supporters stormed the Supreme Court, Congress, and the presidential palace in Brasília. The rioters demanded military intervention to prevent Lula’s presidency. According to the report, this event was part of broader efforts to pressure the military to join the coup attempt. The investigation claims that Fernandes communicated with military leaders about the need for a “triggering event” to initiate the coup.
Bolsonaro, who had left Brazil for the United States days before Lula’s inauguration, has denied involvement in the riots and insists the unrest was an isolated incident. However, legal experts believe the evidence connecting the riot to the broader coup plan is inconclusive, and further investigation is necessary to clarify the extent of coordination between the plotters and the rioters.
Despite his absence, the police report suggests that Bolsonaro was staying in the U.S. to avoid possible arrest following the riot and the fallout from the coup attempt.
This investigation remains ongoing, and it is still unclear whether Bolsonaro or his allies will face formal charges.