Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro Actively Took Part in Coup Plan To Stay In Power, Police Report Says

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was aware and actively took part in a coup plan to stay in power after losing the 2022 election, a new police report showed.

The revelation comes days after Bolsonaro and 36 other people were formally accused with attempting a coup by Federal Police. The report, over 800 pages long, has been sent to the Supreme Court, which decided to disclose its content.

The report concludes "unequivocally" that Bolsonaro "planned, acted and was directly and effectively aware of the actions of the criminal organization aiming to launch a coup d'etat and eliminate the democratic rule of law," reads a passage of the document, as reported by the Associated press.

The investigation showed that Bolsonaro presented a draft decree to the commanders of the three divisions of the armed forces aimed at launching an investigation into alleged election-related fraud and crimes, suspending the powers of the country's electoral court.

The navy's commander was ready to back Bolsonaro, but his counterparts from the army or air force rejected any course of action that prevented the inauguration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Bolsonaro never moved forward with the plan, which was set to begin on December 15, 2022 and included assassinating Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes through methods such as poisoning.

A document by Brazil's Federal Police, reported by Argentine outlet Clarín, elaborates on the alleged poisoning attempt: "For the execution of President Lula, the document describes, considering his health vulnerabilities and frequent hospital visits, the possibility of using poisoning or chemicals to cause an organic collapse."

The investigation highlights an operation referred to as "Green and Yellow Dagger," which allegedly aimed to murder Lula and Alckmin using poison and stage the death of De Moraes with explosives. Evidence suggests these plans involved military personnel with advanced training in special operations. Police have arrested several individuals linked to the conspiracy, some of whom were providing security during the recent G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.

The charges filed by police include violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d'état, and criminal organization.

Among the accused are key figures from Bolsonaro's administration, such as former Defense Ministers Gen Walter Braga Netto and Gen Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira, Justice Minister Anderson Torres, and intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem. Others implicated include Valdemar Costa Neto, the president of Bolsonaro's Liberal Party, and foreign policy advisor Filipe Martins.

These allegations are part of a broader inquiry into events surrounding Bolsonaro's loss to Lula in the 2022 election. After his defeat, Bolsonaro left Brazil for the United States while his supporters demanded military intervention. The tensions peaked in January 2023, when Bolsonaro loyalists stormed the presidential palace, Congress, and the Supreme Court in Brasília.