Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others have been indicted for their alleged roles in attempting a coup to keep Bolsonaro in power after his defeat in the 2022 presidential elections. This indictment marks a significant escalation in the legal battles surrounding Bolsonaro, who has already been barred from running for office in 2026 due to a separate case. His influence, once dominant in Brazilian politics, is now under threat, with the former leader potentially facing jail time and mounting legal challenges.
Brazil’s federal police made the announcement Thursday, revealing that the findings of their investigation were sealed and delivered to Brazil’s Supreme Court. The court will now refer the case to Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who will decide whether to formally charge Bolsonaro and move forward with a trial or dismiss the case.
Indictment Details and Political Fallout
The indictment includes not only Bolsonaro but also several of his former aides and associates, such as General Walter Braga Netto, his running mate during the 2022 election; former Army Commander General Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira; and Valdemar Costa Neto, the chairman of Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party. Also named are several former advisers, including General Augusto Heleno.
The investigation focuses on an alleged plot to keep Bolsonaro in power following his narrow defeat by left-wing candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Police say that the accused attempted to undermine the democratic process and install Bolsonaro back into office through illegal means, including a January 8, 2023, riot where Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed Brazil’s capital in a failed coup attempt.
Carlos Melo, a political science professor at São Paulo’s Insper University, emphasized that Bolsonaro’s political clout has significantly diminished in recent months. He noted that in mayoral elections, many of Bolsonaro’s candidates faced defeat, and he is no longer the sole leader of Brazil’s right-wing movement. Melo also pointed out that politicians across the country, including São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas and Goias Governor Ronaldo Caiado, are positioning themselves to court Bolsonaro’s dwindling base of voters.
“Bolsonaro is no longer the sole leader of the right-wing. He is coming out of mayoral elections in which most of his candidates lost. All these probes don’t help him at all,” Melo explained.
Bolsonaro Denies Involvement and Prepares for Legal Fight
In a statement to the website Metropoles, Bolsonaro acknowledged the indictment, which reportedly spans over 700 pages, but dismissed it as a product of “creativity.” He vowed to fight the case and await his lawyer’s review before taking further legal action.
The former president has consistently denied any attempt to stay in power after his electoral loss, and he maintains that the investigations against him are politically motivated. However, his repeated legal troubles have continued to mount since leaving office, from accusations related to smuggling diamond jewelry into Brazil to allegedly falsifying COVID-19 vaccination records.
The indictment increases legal consequences
Bolsonaro’s legal woes do not stop at the coup investigation. He is also under investigation for several other allegations. In addition to the coup plot, he faces charges related to the illegal importation of diamond jewelry and his attempts to cast doubt on Brazil’s voting system. The country’s courts have already barred him from running for president again until 2030, and a conviction related to the coup attempt could lead to further restrictions.
Despite this, Bolsonaro remains defiant. He has insisted that he will run for office again in 2026, despite the current legal barriers. Some of his political allies have even speculated that the tension surrounding his legal challenges could ultimately benefit him by portraying him as a victim of political persecution, which might rally his supporters.
Creomar de Souza, a political analyst at Dharma Political Risk and Strategy, noted that while the indictment is certainly a blow to Bolsonaro, the right-wing leader could still find a way to make a comeback sooner than expected. “The idea of due legal course is a struggling one in the political arena these days. This could give those targeted a chance to portray themselves as being persecuted,” de Souza said. “We can’t rule out that the tension from indictments like this might well favor Bolsonaro to some extent.”
The Growing Tide of Legal Challenges
The potential indictment over the coup attempt is just one of the growing number of investigations surrounding Bolsonaro. Experts believe that there is enough legal grounds for the Prosecutor-General to file charges. Eloísa Machado de Almeida, a law professor at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation in São Paulo, pointed out that this investigation has gathered sufficient evidence to link Bolsonaro and his associates to the crime.
Further complicating matters, Bolsonaro’s allies in Congress have been trying to push a bill that would grant pardons to those who stormed the Brazilian capital in the January 2023 coup attempt. Speculation is rife that this amnesty bill might be expanded to cover Bolsonaro himself, although political analysts have warned that pushing for such legislation could be politically challenging due to the public outcry and ongoing investigations.
What did additional investigation uncover?
The political and legal chaos surrounding Bolsonaro is compounded by other investigations, including the recent arrest of military officers and a Federal Police officer allegedly involved in plotting to assassinate President Lula and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. These arrests are part of a broader crackdown on radical groups seeking to overthrow Brazil’s government following the 2022 elections.
In another disturbing development, a bomb attack in Brasília last week revealed the extent of the unrest. A man attempted to enter the Supreme Court with explosives, ultimately killing himself in the process. This act of violence underscores the ongoing political instability in Brazil and the extreme measures some groups are willing to take to resist the current government.
