Brazilian Military Leaders Allege Former President Bolsonaro Planned Coup After Election Loss
SÃO PAULO, Brazil — Explosive allegations have emerged from newly released court documents, claiming that former President Jair Bolsonaro presented top Brazilian military leaders with a plan to stage a coup after he lost the 2022 election.
The country’s Supreme Court unveiled testimonies from former army commander Marco Antonio Freire Gomes and former air force commander Carlos de Almeida Baptista Jr. to the Brazilian Federal Police on Friday.
According to the documents, Bolsonaro allegedly unveiled the coup plan during a meeting on Dec. 7, 2022, at the presidential palace in Brasilia.
Both Gomes and Baptista Jr. reportedly refused to comply with Bolsonaro’s alleged scheme to retain power, with threats of arresting him being made, as per the testimonies.
As part of a police investigation into the alleged coup attempt, Bolsonaro surrendered his passport to authorities in early February, vehemently denying the accusations.
Despite the controversy, the former president recently led a massive rally of his supporters in São Paulo, proclaiming it as a stand for “the democratic rule of law.”
In a blow to his political future, Bolsonaro was barred from running for office until 2030 by the country’s highest electoral court last year, due to power abuse and misuse of public media during the 2022 election campaign.
Following his narrow loss in the election to leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro’s supporters engaged in riots and breached government buildings in Brasilia on Jan. 8, 2023.
Despite accusations of instigating the violent incidents, Bolsonaro has vehemently denied any involvement.
Reports from CNN Brasil suggest that Bolsonaro advocated for “amnesty for those poor people who are imprisoned in Brasília,” in reference to the Jan. 8 rioters, during a recent statement.
