Brazil’s ex-prez Bolsonaro mulled a coup after election defeat, military leaders reveal to police

Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro had presented a plan for him to stay in power after he lost the 2022 election to his successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, two Brazilian military leaders told the police according to new court documents released on Friday (Mar 15). 

What did the military leaders say?

The judicial documents released by the country’s Supreme Court presented damning testimonies by former army commander Marco Antonio Freire Gomes and former air force chief Carlos de Almeida Baptista Jr which placed Bolsonaro at the centre of the plan which involved declaring martial law to stop Lula from taking office.

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The two former military commanders told the Brazilian Federal Police that Bolsonaro had allegedly presented them with a plan during meetings at the presidential palace on December 7, 2022. 

However, in their testimonies, Gomes and Baptista Jr said that they refused to carry out the plan and warned the then-president that they would arrest him if he tried it. 

Notably, their statements include the first direct mentions of Bolsonaro’s active participation in conspiring and ignoring the outcome of the 2022 elections. 

The testimonies also implicated Navy commander Almir Garnier Santos in the coup plans, who told the then-president that the Naval forces were ready to support him. 

Investigation against Bolsonaro 

On January 8, 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed government buildings, including the presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court, and shut down highways after his loss. Meanwhile, the then-president left for the United States to avoid handing the presidency to Lula. 

In February, Brazil’s police seized Bolsonaro’s passport and arrested some of his closest aides amid the ongoing investigation into the alleged coup attempt. However, the former president has denied the allegations against him despite mounting evidence that points to the contrary, while the damning testimonies add to his legal woes. 

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“What is a coup? It is tanks on the streets, weapons, conspiracy. None of that happened in Brazil,” he said during a rally last month. 

In 2023, the former president was barred from running for political office until 2030 by the country’s highest electoral court after two convictions of abusing his power. 

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is Bolsonaro’s frequent target and is the chairman of the investigation authorised the release of the documents, on Friday. 

(With inputs from agencies)