Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, whose relatives had already been implicated, is now himself directly in the sights of justice for his role in the ransacking of national institutions by far-right supporters.
The judge of the Federal Supreme Court, Alexandre de Moraes, announced on Friday January 13 that he included the former head of state in the investigation into the events that took place in Brasilia on January 8. The public prosecutor’s office had, during the day, asked to submit the former head of state to investigations to clarify his role in the assault, by thousands of Bolsonarist demonstrators, of the presidential palace, the Federal Court and Congress in the capital city.
The public prosecutor’s office wanted an investigation to be opened “which seeks to clarify the instigation and the moral magisterium of the undemocratic acts that led to episodes of vandalism and violence in Brasilia” sunday.
Jair Bolsonaro, narrowly beaten by left-wing candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, “carried out a public incitement to the commission of a crime” posting a video on social media “challenging the regularity of the 2022 presidential election”explained the prosecution in a press release.
A video published then deleted
The video was published two days after the violent invasion of the headquarters of the presidency, Congress and the Federal Supreme Court by thousands of bolsonarists, then deleted, the prosecution recalled, but it could bring “evidence link” justifying “a global investigation into the acts carried out before and after January 8, 2023” by Jair Bolsonaro.
The former president, who is currently in the United States, “never had any connection or involvement with these movements”said his lawyers in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse (AFP), attributing the violence in Brasilia to elements “infiltrators”.
Federal police arrested 1,843 people following riots a week after leftist President Lula took office for a third term. Most were in a camp, set up for two months in front of an army command center, where they demanded military intervention to prevent Lula’s accession to power.
On Wednesday, 1,159 people had been arrested, and 684 elderly or sick people, parents of young children or the homeless released. The charges against the rioters are “terrorism”, “criminal association”, “attack on the democratic state”, “participation in a coup attempt” and “incitement to crime”.
Ongoing investigations
Judge Moraes on Thursday ordered the opening of an investigation into the conduct of the governor of the federal district of Brasilia, Ibaneis Rocha, suspended from his duties for 90 days, and that of the commanders of public security in the capital during the “terrorist acts”.
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Investigations are underway against Mr. Rocha but also against Fernando de Sousa Oliveira, former acting security secretary, Fabio Augusto, commander of the military police in the Federal District, as well as against Anderson Torres, security secretary in Brasilia and former justice minister of Jair Bolsonaro.
Mr. Torres has been at the heart of compromising revelations since Friday after the discovery, in his house, of a draft decree which could have allowed the cancellation of the election of Lula to the presidency. On Tuesday, Mr. Moraes issued an arrest warrant against MM. Augusto and Torres (the latter was on vacation in the United States at the time of the violence and promised to return to Brazil) for “omission and collusion”.
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