In recent weeks, the former heads of Brazil’s Army and Air Force have provided testimony to federal police confirming that ex-President Jair Bolsonaro discussed a draft decree to prevent the handover of power after the 2022 election, according to sources familiar with the matter.
These testimonies spell trouble for Bolsonaro, whose political future appears bleak and is now struggling to avoid being imprisoned.
Bolsonaro is facing political ineligibility until 2030 due to spreading electoral misinformation during the 2022 campaign. He recently had his passport confiscated by police investigating his attempts to retain power after losing to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the election.
Former Army chief Marco Antonio Freire Gomes informed police during a seven-hour deposition last week about discussions with Bolsonaro regarding a draft decree that could have prevented Lula’s inauguration.
Former Air Force chief Carlos Baptista Junior also testified to police last month about discussions with Bolsonaro on ways to prevent Lula from assuming power.
According to sources, Fabio Wajngarten, a spokesman for the Bolsonaro family, stated that he had not yet seen the ex-military chiefs’ testimonies but affirmed his belief that there is no concrete evidence against the president.
Efforts to reach Gomes and Baptista Junior for comment were unsuccessful.
Bolsonaro is currently the subject of multiple criminal investigations that are nearing completion.
An insider within the federal police indicated that investigators are considering combining these probes and discussing the charges that may be brought against Bolsonaro. The potential charges, including attempting to overthrow the democratic state, racketeering, and falsifying documents, carry a maximum cumulative prison sentence of 55 years.
After the federal police determine the charges they want to file against Bolsonaro, it will be the responsibility of Brazil’s prosecutor general to formally indict him.
According to a source within the prosecutor general’s office who requested anonymity, Bolsonaro’s indictment is viewed as a matter of timing rather than possibility.
Requests for comments from the prosecutor general’s office and the federal police went unanswered.
(Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Writing by Steven Grattan;Editing by Gabriel Stargardter, Rosalba O’Brien and David Gregorio)
