Jair Bolsonaro

Audios reveal high-ranking officers pressured Bolsonaro to stage coup

A trove of leaked audio recordings from late 2022 reveal high-ranking members of Brazil's army discussing efforts to pressure then-President Jair Bolsonaro to carry out a coup and remain in power. The 53 audios, obtained by the Federal Police and accessed by The Associated Press on Monday, provide a rare chance to hear military members expressing in their own voices their desire to keep leftist Luiz Incio Lula da Silva from taking office. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees the police's sprawling investigation, quoted some of those audios in his ruling last week ordering the arrest of five people for plotting the assassination of then-President-elect Lula in 2022 and then attempting to oust him from power on January 8, 2023, when Bolsonaro supporters destroyed government buildings in capital Brasilia. Audios from one former army officer who was not among those de Moraes ordered arrested last week are particularly supportive of a coup, and weren't referenced in

Police indict ex-Brazilian President Bolsonaro, aides in 2022 coup attempt

Brazil's federal police said on Thursday they indicted former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 other people on charges of attempting a coup to keep him in office after his electoral defeat in the 2022 elections. The findings were to be delivered on Thursday to Brazil's Supreme Court to be referred to Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who will either agree with the charges and put the former president on trial or toss the investigation. The former right-wing leader has denied all claims he tried to stay in office after his electoral defeat in 2022 to his rival, leftist President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro has faced a series of legal threats since then. Other investigations focus on his potential roles in smuggling diamond jewelry into Brazil without properly declaring them, and in directing a subordinate to falsify his and others' COVID-19 vaccination statuses. Bolsonaro has denied any involvement in either. On Tuesday, the federal police arrested four military and a federal .

Brazilian Prez reveals alleged plot to poison him amid Bolsonaro indictment

On Tuesday, five suspects, including Bolsonaro's former adviser and retired general Mario Fernandes, were arrested in connection with the alleged plot. The suspects reportedly sought to create

Bolsonaro embezzled $1.2 mn worth of jewellery from Saudi Arabia: Police

Brazil's Federal Police allege former president Jair Bolsonaro embezzled jewellery worth 6.8 million Brazilian reals (about USD 1.2 million) during his time in office, according to the investigative report unsealed on Monday by the Supreme Court. Bolsonaro was indicted last week charging embezzlement, asset laundering and criminal association in connection with the luxury jewellery from Saudi Arabia. The investigation adds pressure on the far-right leader who governed in 2019-2022 before losing his reelection bid to Luiz Incio Lula da Silva. He has already lost his political rights until 2030. Bolsonaro has not commented on the indictment, but has previously denied any wrongdoing involving the jewellery. The police report alleges there was "a criminal association for the embezzlement of high-value gifts that were received due to the position of former President Jair Bolsonaro". The jewellery included diamond-encrusted Rolex and Patek Phillipe watches, a necklace, rings and cufflinks

Brazilian police indict ex-President Bolsonaro in undeclared diamonds case

Brazil's Federal Police have indicted former President Jair Bolsonaro for money laundering and criminal association in connection with undeclared diamonds the far-right leader received from Saudi Arabia during his time in office, according to a source with knowledge of the accusations. A second source confirmed the indictment, although not for which specific crimes. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly. Brazil's Supreme Court has yet to receive the police report with the indictment. Once it does, the country's prosecutor-general, Paulo Gonet, will analyze the document and decide whether to file charges and force Bolsonaro to stand trial. The indictment dramatically raises the stakes in a series of investigations into the divisive ex-leader applauded by his opponents but denounced as political persecution by his supporters. Bolsonaro and his lawyers have denied any wrongdoing related to the case, as well as the slew of ...

Court denies Bolsonaro's request for passport return to travel to Israel

Brazil's Supreme Court has denied a request by former president Jair Bolsonaro's lawyers that his passport be returned to him so that he can travel to Israel, according to an official document released here. Bolsonaro's lawyers said in a statement on Thursday that Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had invited Bolsonaro to an event in May, and requested the Supreme Court to restore his passport. It is absolutely premature to remove the restriction imposed on the investigated person, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes wrote in his decision, which was in line with a recommendation from the prosecutor general's office cited by Moraes. Bolsonaro's passport was taken, precisely, to prevent him from leaving the country, given the danger to the development of criminal investigations and the possible application of criminal law, the prosecutor general's office said earlier in its opinion. Federal Police seized Bolsonaro's passport in February during a raid related to an ...

Bolsonaro requests court permission to accept Netanyahu's invite to Israel

Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro has requested federal authorities return his passport and authorise travel to Israel so he can accept an event invitation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit in May, Bolsonaro's lawyers said on Thursday in a statement. The attorneys submitted Bolsonaro's request to the Supreme Court on Monday, the same day The New York Times published security camera footage revealing that the former president spent two nights at Hungary's embassy in Brasilia. His stay, in February, came just days after Federal Police seized his passport during a raid related to an investigation into whether he and top aides plotted to ignore 2022 election results and stage an uprising to keep the defeated leader in power. The revelation of his stay sparked widespread speculation he may have been attempting to evade arrest, as agents would not have jurisdiction to enter embassy grounds due to diplomatic conventions restricting access. Bolsonaro's lawyers denied th

Probes target Bolsonaro, but his Covid decisions catching up to him first

As Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's term wound down in the final days of December 2022, he had decided to skip the ritual of handing over the presidential sash to his successor, and instead made plans to travel abroad. But there was a problem, according to a Federal Police indictment unveiled on Tuesday: Bolsonaro didn't have the necessary vaccination certificate required by US authorities. So Bolsonaro turned to his aide-de-camp, Mauro Cid, and asked him to insert false data into the public health system to make it appear as though he and his 12-year-old daughter had received the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the indictment. Cid told police he tasked someone with the carrying out the deed, then printed out the certificates inside the presidential palace on December 22 and hand-delivered them to Bolsonaro, according to detective Fabio Alvarez Shor, who signed the indictment. It is Bolsonaro's first indictment since leaving office, and tampering with public records in Brazil is

'Not afraid of any trial': Bolsonaro over claims he plotted to remain prez

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said Saturday he was not afraid of any trial, a day after documents released by the Supreme Court revealed that two top military leaders said the populist plotted to remain in power after losing the 2022 election. Bolsonaro avoided commenting on the content of any of several investigations targeting him, but claimed he was a victim of persecution for causing trouble for the country's political left. Authorities in February confiscated Bolsonaro's passport. I could very well be in another country, but I decided to come back here at all costs. I'm not afraid of any trial, as long as the judges are impartial, Bolsonaro said in Rio de Janeiro, speaking at a campaign event in the city's mayoral race. The court documents released Saturday included testimony from Bolsonaro's former Army and Air Force commanders to police, who said they refused the former leader's demands and would arrest him if he tried to stay in power. The testimonies include th

Bolsonaro supporters stage demonstration to defend him amid investigations

Tens of thousands of supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro rallied in Brazil's biggest city Sunday to defend him against legal challenges that could put him in jail. The far-right leader said in a speech that he seeks "pacification to erase the past, taking a more conciliatory tone than when he was in office. Bolsonaro is seeking to show his base is resilient as he is being investigated by federal police over his alleged role in the January 8, 2023, attacks on government buildings by his supporters over his election loss. He wants the dozens of people still in jail for those incidents to get pardons. Bolsonaro is also accused of illegally receiving jewels from Saudi Arabia during his presidency. Six blocks of Paulista Avenue filled with Bolsonaro supporters, many of them saying that he is being persecuted by Brazil's Supreme Court and that President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva unfairly won his narrow victory in the 2022 election. Some also carried Israeli flags as a show of .

A yr after pro-Bolsonaro riots, dozens of arrests, Brazil still recovering

Brazil's Congress has everything ready to open an exhibit Monday featuring pieces including a tapestry crafted by renowned artist Burle Marx and a replica of the country's constitution dated 1988. The display is notable not because of the rarity of the objects, but because they are the living memory of one of the grimmest episodes in Brazil's recent history: As unprecedented riots in support of former President Jair Bolsonaro took place on January 8, 2023, in government buildings in the capital Brasilia, the tapestry was damaged and the replica constitution was taken. Many saw the rioting as part of a failed attempt by Bolsonaro to remain in power following his election loss. A year and hundreds of arrests later, Brazil is still recovering. Brazil's society still doesn't know how to handle what happened, there's no consensus, said Creomar de Souza, founder of political risk consultancy Dharma Politics. Brazil's society is now in extreme opposites. And parts of those opposites are in

Bolsonaro should be charged with attempting a coup: Congressional panel

A Brazilian congressional panel on Wednesday accused former President Jair Bolsonaro of instigating the country's Jan 8 riots and recommended that he be charged with attempting to stage a coup. An inquiry panel of senators and representatives mostly allied with the current leftist President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva who narrowly defeated Bolsonaro in last fall's election voted 20-11 to adopt the damning report drafted by Sen. Eliziane Gama. The move was largely symbolic for Bolsonaro because it amounts to a recommendation for police and prosecutors to investigate, and federal law enforcement officials separately have already been investigating his possible role in inciting the Jan 8 uprising. Bolsonaro has denied involvement in the rioting, which took place more than a week after the right-wing leader had quietly left the country to stay in Florida while refusing to attend Lula's inauguration. It's completely biased, Bolsonaro said Wednesday of the inquiry, in comments to reporter

Brazil's ex-President Bolsonaro denies proposing coup to military leaders

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has denied a report claiming he consulted with top military leaders on staging a coup to stop Luiz Incio Lula da Silva from assuming the presidency last January. Three members of Bolsonaro's legal team said in a statement posted on social media channels Thursday that the far-right leader "never took any measure that conflicted the boundaries and assurances established by the constitution". Earlier in the day, the newspaper O Globo reported that a former Bolsonaro aide said in plea bargain testimony that the then president talked with the commanders of Brazil's army, navy and air force about overthrowing the results of last year's election won by Lula. The newspaper did not identify the sources for its story. Bolsonaro's legal team also said that he did not take any action that violated the law during his 2019-2022 administration. Bolsonaro has been targeted by several investigations since he left office, including one looking into whether

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Brazilian hacker claims Bolsonaro asked him to hack into the voting system

A Brazilian hacker claimed at a Congressional hearing on Thursday that former President Jair Bolsonaro wanted him to hack into the country's electronic voting system to expose its alleged weaknesses ahead of the 2022 presidential election. Walter Delgatti Neto did not provide any evidence for his claim to the parliamentary commission of inquiry. But his detailed testimony raises new allegations against the former far-right leader, investigated for his role in the Jan. 8 riots in the capital city of Brasilia. Delgatti also told lawmakers that he met in person with Bolsonaro and told the former president it was not possible for him to hack the electronic voting system. The Associated Press has reached out to Bolsonaro's lawyers who have not yet responded. Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoings. Bolsonaro's political nemesis, leftist Luiz Incio Lula da Silva, won the Oct. 30, 2022 election with just 50.9% of the votes. According to Delgatti, Bolsonaro had wanted the attempted hack to .

Bolsonaro got money from $70,000 sale of jewellery gifts, police alleges

Brazil's federal police on Friday alleged former President Jair Bolsonaro received cash from the nearly $70,000 sale of two luxury watches he received as gifts from Saudi Arabia while in office, posing another potential blow for the embattled far-right leader. Earlier in the day, officers raided the homes and offices of several people purportedly involved in the case, including a four-star army general. Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing involving the gifts. A Federal Police officer said the force is seeking authorisation to access the personal banking and financial information of Bolsonaro. The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the investigation, said the Federal Police had asked for help from the FBI. Bolsonaro's lawyers said in a statement that he would authorise Brazil's judiciary to have access to his banking records. President Bolsonaro has never embezzled or misplaced any public assets, it said. The case adds to the legal jeopardy facing Bolsonaro for

Jair Bolsonaro to return to Brazil for 1st time since losing election

The far-right politician's return is also for the first time since his supporters stormed the SC, Congress and presidential palace on Jan 8, which came weeks after weeks after protests

Brazil's right-wing movement persists without ex-President Bolsonaro

Brazil's defeated former president, Jair Bolsonaro, was in Florida this month when his supporters tried but failed to overthrow the country's young democracy

Former Brazil minister arrested in connection with Jan 8 capital riots

Torres is suspected of intentionally failing to stop the capital attack even when he had the knowledge, the report said, adding that he left the country before the riots broke out

Brazil's Supreme Court agrees to include Bolsonaro in riots probe

The Supreme Court of Brazil has agreed to include former President Jair Bolsonaro in its probe into the riots on January 8 staged by his thousands of his radical supporters in capital Brasilia.