Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro One Step Closer To Arrest After Being Accused Of Coup Plot That Included Poisoning His Opponent

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is a step closer to prison after being formally charged of attempting a coup following his defeat in the 2022 election, a plot that included him approving the poisoning of his opponent, current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Concretely, Brazilian Attorney General Paulo Gonet detailed that the plan also approved the murdering Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes, who will now have to decide whether to demand his arrest.

Gonet said that, along with dozens of other officials and aides, Bolsonaro sought to remain in power despite losing the election. "The members of the criminal organization plotted in the presidential palace a plan to attack institutions and take down the division of powers and the democratic order, eerily called 'Green and Yellow Dagger,'" in reference to the colors of the Brazilian flag, the prosecutor wrote in a passage of his 272.page accusation. "The plan was conceived and taken to the president, who agreed with it."

Bolsonaro's legal team rejected the allegations, saying the former president has "never agreed with any move whose goal is to dismantle the democratic rule of law or the institutions underpinning it." His son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, said on X that the procedure serves "Lula's nefarious interests."

"I have no worries, zero," Bolsonaro told press on Tuesday after visiting the Senate. "Have you by any chance seen the coup decree? Me either."

The Brazilian Supreme Court now will analyze the charges and send Bolsonaro to trial if it upholds them.

Gonet received last year a 884-page report from the federal police, which concluded that Bolsonaro "planned, acted and was directly and effectively aware of the actions of the criminal organization aiming to launch a coup."

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.

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."

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.