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Brazilian police have recommended criminal charges against former president Jair Bolsonaro and dozens of others for an alleged coup plot designed to keep the rightwing populist in power after his election loss in 2022.
It was the first time authorities have formally accused Bolsonaro of being involved in unsuccessful attempts to prevent an orderly handover to his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who narrowly defeated the incumbent at the ballot box.
The police probe looked at events that preceded the riots in Brasília on January 8 2023, when thousands of Bolsonaro supporters trashed government buildings and urged the armed forces to overthrow a newly inaugurated president Lula.
Investigators have been examining whether Bolsonaro, who was out of the country at the time, played any role in the disturbances. He has denied any wrongdoing.
On Thursday police called for the indictment of 37 individuals, including Bolsonaro’s former defence minister and 2022 running mate retired general Walter Braga Netto; his former justice minister Anderson Torres; and former head of the navy Almir Garnier Santos.
The offences alleged are violent abolition of the democratic state of law, coup d’état and criminal organisation.
It is the latest major development in wide-ranging investigations into alleged attempts to subvert Brazil’s democracy in the run-up to and aftermath of the October 2022 elections.
Five military and police officers were arrested this week on suspicion of planning to assassinate Lula weeks before he took office, an alleged conspiracy that was ultimately aborted.
The recommendation of charges on Thursday by the federal police, Brazil’s equivalent of the FBI, were contained in a 700-page report sent to the supreme court that concluded almost two years of inquiries.
The tribunal must now decide whether to refer the matter to prosecutor-general Paulo Gonet. He will have to choose between bringing formal indictments, requesting more information or throwing out the cases.
In a post on X, Bolsonaro said he and his lawyer needed to look more closely at the allegations.
If Bolsonaro is formally indicted it would be the first time the ex-president has faced criminal charges, following several probes that have weakened his political standing as standard-bearer of Brazil’s right. Last year he was barred from standing for office until 2030 over campaign violations.
Should the indictments go ahead, the defendants will be judged by the supreme court, an institution loathed by Brazil’s far-right movement, which claims it is biased against conservatives.
“Bolsonaro will probably be charged, sentenced and sent to jail next year,” said Thiago Vidal at political consultancy Prospectiva.
Additional reporting by Beatriz Langella in São Paulo