Former far-right Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro “actively participated” to a planned coup aimed at preventing his leftist successor Lula’s return to power after the 2022 elections, according to a police report released Tuesday.
The former head of state (2019-2022) had also “fully aware” of an alleged plan to assassinate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, according to this report of more than 800 pages, which calls for the indictment of Bolsonaro and thirty-six other people, most of them military. The report was presented to the Public Ministry and it is up to the Attorney General of the Republic, Paulo Gonet, to decide whether or not to start the process.
“The evidence obtained throughout the investigations unequivocally demonstrated that Jair Bolsonaro planned (…) and participated directly and effectively in the actions of a criminal organization whose objective was a coup d’état that did not occur due to circumstances contrary to his will.”details the police report.
“Political persecution”
Jair Bolsonaro, 69, has always proclaimed his innocence and has repeatedly said that he is a victim of “political persecution”. “The term “coup d’état” has never been part of my lexicon”he said at a news conference on Monday. But investigators claim that Bolsonaro had “fully aware” and had “actively participated” to “clandestine acts aimed at abolishing the democratic rule of law”.
According to the report, the former head of state was aware of the “Green Dagger” operation that aimed to assassinate Lula, his elected vice president Geraldo Alckmin and Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes, after the failure of Lula’s re-election. far-right leader. electoral attempt.
Last week, a police operation linked to this extensive investigation resulted in the arrest of four soldiers and a police officer, suspected of having promoted this triple murder plan, which supposedly would have been carried out before the current president took office. from the left. , the 1Ahem January 2023.
