Reuters :
Brazil’s federal police presented evidence to the Supreme Court that former President Jair Bolsonaro was directly involved in plotting a coup to overturn the outcome of the 2022 election he lost, according to an 884-page report unsealed on Tuesday.
That final police report, the result of a nearly two-year investigation, lays out evidence gathered from search warrants, wiretaps, financial records and plea bargain testimony pointing to a criminal conspiracy with Bolsonaro at the helm.
“Bolsonaro effectively planned, directed and executed, in coordination with other officials since at least 2019, concrete acts that aimed at the abolition of the democratic rule of law, with him remaining as president,” the report said.
Police also found that Bolsonaro had “full knowledge” of a plan to assassinate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, then president-elect, and his running mate, based on dialogue captured between conspirators and meetings at the presidential residence.
The report cites eight main pieces of evidence to back up the formal accusation against Bolsonaro in the alleged coup attempt, including a meeting he called in December 2022 with top commanders of the armed forces, presenting them with a proposed coup d’état and asking them to join the conspiracy.
The army and air force commanders refused, according to police, while the navy commander, now retired Admiral Almir Garnier Santos, expressed support, according to investigators.
