Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro faces shocking charges alongside 36 others.
According to Breitbart, the group is accused of conspiring to assassinate current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and instigate a coup.
According to Brazil’s Federal Police, these indictments follow meticulous investigations lasting nearly two years into Bolsonaro and his associates' actions after losing the 2022 presidential election.
The alleged coup was dubbed "Green and Yellow Dagger" and involved detailed military and institutional strategies to overthrow the democratic regime. This included the planned elimination of Lula, then-Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin, and a key Supreme Federal Tribunal minister.
Investigators uncovered plans that outlined using sophisticated military tactics and creating an Institutional Crisis Management Office. This setup was to address the fallout from their intended actions.
Following a statement from the Brazilian Federal Police, "The evidence was obtained through several police investigations carried out over almost two years, based on the breaking of computer, telephone, banking, and tax confidentiality, plea bargains, searches, and seizures, among other measures duly authorized by the Judiciary."
The investigation implicates various high-profile figures, including Bolsonaro’s former aide-de-camp Mauro Cid, and the president of Bolsonaro's Liberal Party, Valdemar Costa Neto. Charges leveled against the accused include "coup", "violent abolition of the democratic rule of law", and "organized crime". The maximum sentences for these charges could span from three to twelve years per count.
Bolsonaro, depicted as the orchestrator of the plot, has publicly denounced the investigation. He criticizes Supreme Federal Tribunal Minister Alexandre de Moraes for handling the inquiry, alleging bias and manipulation.
In Bolsonaro's words: “Minister Alexandre de Moraes conducts the entire investigation, adjusts testimonies, arrests without charges, fishes for evidence, and has a very creative advisory board. He does everything the law doesn’t say.”
Upon learning the full extent of the attempts against his life, President Lula expressed his gratitude for his survival and reaffirmed his commitment to surpass his predecessors through demonstrable governance achievements.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated passionately about his focus on governance over vengeance: “I’m a guy who has a lot more to be thankful for because I’m alive. The attempt to poison me and [Vice President] Alckmin didn’t work — we’re here. And I don’t want to poison anyone. I don’t even want to persecute anyone. The only thing I want is that when my term ends, we demoralize with numbers those who governed before us. I want to measure with numbers who has built more schools in this country, who has taken more care of the poor in this country.”
The documents revealing these plans were reportedly printed within government premises, escalating concerns about the depth of the conspiracy.
The Attorney General's Office is expected to soon decide how the case will proceed, with a potential trial slated for as early as March or possibly June 2025. This indictment marks the third against Bolsonaro this year alone.
As Brazil grapples with this unprecedented legal and political drama, the outcomes of these allegations could have far-reaching effects on its democracy and internal security. Bolsonaro's role and the extent of the plotted coup will be pivotal points of interest as proceedings unfold.
