Ex-Brazilian President Bolsonaro charged with coup attempt

Brazil's prosecutor general has formally charged former President Jair Bolsonaro with attempting to orchestrate a coup after his defeat in the 2022 election.

The charges accuse Bolsonaro of plotting to assassinate his successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and seize power by force.

Lula returned to office in January 2023 for his third, non-consecutive term after narrowly defeating Bolsonaro in the October 2022 elections. Bolsonaro, however, contested the results, alleging widespread fraud and claiming that a "malfunction" had affected thousands of voting machines.

On Tuesday, Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet announced that Bolsonaro and his running mate, General Walter Braga Netto, who was arrested on Saturday, were leading a "criminal organization" in an attempt to maintain control of the country. The charges also include accusations of plotting to poison President Lula and assassinate Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

A total of 34 individuals have reportedly been charged in connection to the plot, including several military figures such as Bolsonaro's former national security adviser, retired General Augusto Heleno, and former Navy Commander Almir Garnier Santos.

Bolsonaro's legal team has vehemently denied the charges, expressing “dismay and indignation” over the allegations. They have insisted that Bolsonaro never supported any movement aimed at undermining Brazil’s democratic institutions, according to Reuters. 

These charges follow an extensive two-year investigation into the election-denial movement, which led to violent riots in early 2023, a week after Lula assumed office. At the time, Bolsonaro was in the United States, but later called for the unrest to end and endorsed the transition to Lula's government. Since then, he has been banned from holding public office in Brazil until 2030.

In November 2023, federal police released a report accusing Bolsonaro of playing a central role in planning and organizing the attempted coup, allegedly seeking support from military leaders to prevent Lula's inauguration.