At the end of November, the police recommended indicting the Brazilian president and several of his relatives for their alleged involvement in a planned coup d'état aimed at preventing Lula's inauguration.
Brazilian Federal Police (PF) arrested former Defense Minister Walter Braga Netto on Saturday on suspicion of obstructing the investigation into an alleged coup d'état plan, a police source told AFP. General Braga Netto was the Minister of Defense of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in 2021-2022, before being his running mate in the 2022 presidential election, which they lost to the current head of the left-wing state Lula.
The PF announced in writing that it had issued, with the authorization of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), a preventive detention order and carried out two searches “against persons who would obstruct” to the production of evidence. “Braga Netto was arrested during the operation”declared the police source. At the end of November, the police recommended indicting Jair Bolsonaro and several of his relatives for their alleged involvement in a planned coup d'état aimed at preventing Lula's inauguration. Among these relatives, General Braga Netto.
“Clandestine acts aimed at abolishing the rule of law”
The federal police believe that the 37 people in question should be prosecuted for “the crimes of violent abolition of the rule of law, coup d’état and criminal organization”. The PF gathered evidence for two years and wrote an 884-page report, now in the hands of public prosecutor Paulo Gonet, who must decide whether to pursue requests for charges.
According to investigators, Mr. Bolsonaro had “fully aware” of “clandestine acts aimed at abolishing the rule of law” and there was “actively participated”. He was also “fully aware” of an operation aimed at assassinating Lula. Called “Green and yellow dagger”it would have been discussed in the very house of General Braga Netto. And the plan was printed at the Planalto, the presidential palace, according to investigators. Among the evidence gathered by the PF is also a manuscript seized from the headquarters of Mr. Bolsonaro's party, from the belongings of an advisor to Mr. Braga Netto.
Lula won by a narrow margin in the second round of the presidential election, at the end of October 2022, and began his third term on January 1, 2023. He had already been president from 2003 to 2010.
