Brazil’s top prosecutor filed formal charges on Tuesday against former President Jair Bolsonaro, accusing him of orchestrating a coup attempt to cling to power following his 2022 electoral defeat. This alleged plot, the prosecutor claims, also involved plans to poison current President Lula and assassinate Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet alleges that Bolsonaro and 33 others conspired to retain power. The alleged scheme included plans to poison Lula and fatally shoot Justice Moraes, a known adversary of the former president.
“The criminal organization devised a plan within the presidential palace to attack institutions, aiming to dismantle the system of powers and the democratic order, a plot ominously dubbed ‘Green and Yellow Dagger’,” Gonet stated in a 272-page indictment. “The president was aware of and approved this plan.”
Bolsonaro is frequently seen wearing Brazil’s yellow-and-green national soccer jersey, colors now associated with his political movement.
Bolsonaro’s legal team responded to the accusations with “dismay and indignation,” asserting in a statement that the former president “never supported any movement aimed at undermining the democratic rule of law or the institutions that uphold it.”
Bolsonaro’s son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, declared on X that the indictment was “baseless” and lacked evidence of wrongdoing. He accused the Prosecutor-General’s Office of serving “Lula’s malicious interests.”
In November, Brazil’s Federal Police submitted an 884-page report to Gonet detailing the alleged scheme. They allege a systematic effort to erode public trust in the electoral system, including drafting a decree to legitimize the plot, pressuring military leaders, and inciting a riot in the capital.
Gonet described the alleged crimes as a series of events designed to prevent Bolsonaro from leaving office, “defying the outcome of the popular vote.”
The Supreme Court will review the charges; if accepted, Bolsonaro will face trial.
The far-right leader denies any wrongdoing. “I have no concerns about the accusations, zero,” Bolsonaro told reporters earlier on Tuesday during a Senate visit in Brasilia.
“Have you seen the coup decree, by any chance? You haven’t. Neither have I,” he added.
Besides participating in a coup d’état, the 34 defendants are charged with forming an armed criminal organization, attempting to violently abolish the democratic rule of law, causing damage through violence and serious threats against state assets, and damaging listed heritage, according to a statement from the Prosecutor General’s press office.
Gonet stated that the charged criminal organization “was led by the (then) president himself and his running mate, Gen. Braga Netto.”
“Both accepted, encouraged, and committed acts that, according to our criminal law, constitute attacks on the existence and independence of the branches of power and democratic rule,” Gonet wrote in his report.
The crimes carry varying penalties. A conviction for attempted coup and violent abolition of the democratic rule of law could result in a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, according to the country’s criminal code.
The indictments, based on written documents, digital files, spreadsheets, and message exchanges, reveal a scheme to disrupt the democratic order, according to the prosecutor-general’s office.
The charges are “historic,” commented Luis Henrique Machado, a criminal lawyer and professor at IDP University in Brasilia, predicting the Supreme Court will accept the charges and bring Bolsonaro to trial sometime before the end of next year.
“The charges demonstrate the strength, independence, and efficiency of Brazil’s institutions,” Machado said. “They serve as a model for other countries where democracy is threatened.”
Bolsonaro is ineligible to run in the 2026 election after judges on the country’s top electoral court ruled that he abused his power and spread unfounded doubts about the country’s electronic voting system.
Following Tuesday’s charges, Bolsonaro will likely “portray himself as a victim,” suggested Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper University in Sao Paulo. Bolsonaro has previously claimed his legal troubles are an attempt to prevent his return to office.
“Polls indicate he would be a competitive candidate in the 2026 elections against Lula, one of which was released today,” said Melo. “There will be political turmoil, but it will subside.”
—Savarese reported from Sao Paulo.
