Former Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, charged over alleged coup plot

Former Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, has been charged with attempting a coup following his defeat in the 2022 presidential election. 

The country’s chief prosecutor accused him of trying to prevent his successor, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, from taking office after a fiercely contested race.

The 69-year-old faces five charges, including allegations that he planned to poison Lula and assassinate Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing, calling the charges an act of political persecution.

The case now moves to the Supreme Court, which will decide whether to proceed with a trial. If the court accepts the charges, Bolsonaro and 33 others will be formally indicted and required to stand trial.

Bolsonaro was previously banned from running for office for eight years after he was found to have undermined Brazil’s democracy by spreading false claims about the integrity of the electronic voting system used in the 2022 election. He never publicly conceded defeat and left Brazil for the United States two days before Lula’s inauguration.

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On 8 January 2023, Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed government buildings in the capital, Brasília, ransacking parts of the facilities. Authorities arrested 1,500 rioters. 

Three months ago, federal police accused Bolsonaro of orchestrating a coup attempt by proposing the idea to key military figures. Prosecutors now argue that he led a “criminal organisation” responsible for attacks on Brazil’s democratic order.

Attorney General Paulo Gonet Branco stated: “Allied with other individuals, including civilians and military personnel, they attempted to prevent, in a coordinated manner, the result of the 2022 presidential elections from being fulfilled.” One of the charges Bolsonaro faces is for leading an “armed criminal organisation” alongside his former vice-presidential candidate, Walter Braga Netto.

Brazilian media reports suggest the Supreme Court is expected to move forward with the trial later this year. The case has deepened the country’s political divisions, with government supporters demanding Bolsonaro’s imprisonment while opposition figures insist he is being unfairly targeted.