Bolsonaro Remains Silent When Testifying About 2023 Coup Plan

On Thursday, former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and 22 of his former collaborators went to the Federal Police to testify about the coup plans drawn up to prevent the inauguration of Lula da Silva as president on January 1, 2023.

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The investigation focuses on the riot on January 8, 2023, when, a week after Lula took office, thousands of far-right activists violently stormed the Brasilia headquarters of all three branches of government.

Over the last year, the Federal Police found serious indications of conspiracies, one of which is a draft presidential decree prepared before January 1, 2023.

In this document, which the far-right President was expected to sign, actions aimed at keeping Bolsonaro in power through a "state of siege" and the intervention of the Supreme Court and the Electoral Tribunal are outlined.

The text reads, "Jair Bolsonaro and generals Augusto Heleno and Braga Netto arrived at the Federal Police headquarters to give simultaneous testimonies about the attempted coup d'état. Due to a strategy of the Federal Police, all those investigated must give their testimonies at the same time to avoid collusion of versions."

This evidence led to a major police operation on February 8, 2024, when the homes of about 20 individuals were searched and four close collaborators of Bolsonaro were arrested.

Brazilian Justice revoked Bolsonaro's passport and banned him from leaving the country as measures to ensure that he attends the judicial proceedings against him.

This Thursday, the Federal Police also received statements from four former ministers, three of whom are retired generals: Walter Braga Netto, Paulo Sergio Nogueira, and Augusto Heleno.

Also present to give a statement were Admiral Almir Garnier, other high-ranking military officers, and former congressman Valdemar Costa Neto, who is the president of Bolsonaro's Liberal Party.

The text reads, "Bolsonaro testifies today before the Federal Police for having led the coup plot. We know well that January 8 was the result of a system of disinformation and a financial and political investment. The former president's fingerprints are all over the dream coup, including the draft decree. No amnesty."

"The former president's lawyers tried unsuccessfully to postpone the statement... The police strategy to collect the testimonies is for them to be simultaneous so as to prevent those investigated from speculating with the versions," reported Nacho Lemus, teleSUR correspondent in Brazil.

Before going to the Federal Police, Bolsonaro denied all suspicions against him and indicated that he would remain silent during his testimony because he is "a victim of judicial persecution."

Next Sunday, this far-right politician and his followers will hold a meeting in Sao Paulo to reject this alleged "persecution."