According to recently released legal documents, two former military leaders have revealed that Brazil’s ex-president Jair Bolsonaro had proposed a plan to execute a military coup after his loss in the October 2022 election.
Testimonies made public on Friday revealed that former army commander Marco Antônio Freire Gomes and former air force commander Carlos Baptista Júnior stated that Bolsonaro held multiple meetings in December 2022. During these meetings, Bolsonaro allegedly presented a document outlining his plans to overturn the election results, which showed him losing to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The two officials of the military state that they attempted to discourage him. Their statement, made public by the highest court, signifies the initial instance in which Bolsonaro has been explicitly identified as actively seeking to retain authority.
Their remarks only add to Bolsonaro’s legal predicament, as they implicate the far-right leader in the purported plot to maintain his position of authority.
Before the election, Bolsonaro frequently questioned the trustworthiness of Brazil’s voting system and never officially admitted defeat to Lula. However, he has consistently denied any involvement in a coup scheme.
“What constitutes a coup? According to him, it involves tanks on the streets, the use of weapons, and conspiracies. However, he claims that none of these elements occurred during a demonstration last month in Brazil.”
Per Freire Gomes’ account, in gatherings held after Bolsonaro’s defeat in the election, the unsuccessful leader proposed several allegedly lawful measures to overturn the results, such as instituting a state of emergency.
Freire Gomes informed the police that he cautioned Bolsonaro about the army’s zero-tolerance policy towards any attempt to disrupt the institution. He also mentioned that Bolsonaro’s actions could potentially lead to his arrest.
Based on records from the federal police, Baptista Júnior stated that he attempted to discourage Bolsonaro from taking any drastic actions and that he felt Freire Gomes’ influence helped prevent the use of the legal document. However, the ex-air force commander also mentioned that Almir Garnier, who was the navy commander at the time, informed Bolsonaro that he was willing to deploy troops if needed.
According to a document from the federal police, Baptista Jr stated that if Commander Freire Gomes had given his approval, there may have been a potential coup attempt.
Bolsonaro did not approve a preliminary decree that would have declared a state of emergency, yet on the eighth day following Lula’s inauguration on January 1, 2023, thousands of his followers raided the capital city of Brasília in an effort to overthrow the newly elected government.
Over 1,400 individuals have been accused of participating in the rebellion and 131 individuals have received punishments thus far.
Freire Gomes and Baptista Júnior were interrogated by law enforcement in the past weeks as part of a probe into a purported plot to undermine the integrity of Brazil’s electoral system and orchestrate a military coup in order to maintain Bolsonaro as the leader. On Friday, the statements of 25 additional suspects and witnesses were also released to the public.
Bolsonaro has given up his passport during the ongoing investigation and is not allowed to travel abroad or communicate with other suspects, including his former ministers and closest allies.
The generals’ statements suggest the investigation closing in on Bolsonaro, who has separately been banned from running for political office until 2030 over his spread of disinformation during the 2022 election campaign.
Source: theguardian.com
