The Federal Police’s (PF) mess regarding the indictment of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and 36 others investigated for an alleged attempted coup d’état at the end of 2022 — which would include a plan to assassinate authorities — feeds two opposing narratives surrounding the ex -president, employed, respectively, by opponents and supporters.
On the one hand, the PF points to Bolsonaro as the central figure of a criminal scheme, acting directly and effectively. On the other hand, his allies highlight inconsistencies and contradictions that, on the contrary, serve to characterize him as a decisive obstacle to the coup plot. This narrative is based on the perception that there would be repeated resistance from him to forceful or unconstitutional actions, despite being under strong pressure.
Between the two versions of the same investigation, doubts still stand out about Bolsonaro’s level of participation in the different stages of planning the alleged coup attempt, considered by the PF to be important. The former president only admits to having participated in discussions regarding the eventual declaration of a state of siege.
The PF concluded that the former president “planned, directed and led” actions with “full conscience” to consummate the coup d’état, frustrated by the refusal of the Army and Air Force commanders to support him. The report had its confidentiality removed and was sent to the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) this Tuesday (26).
PF report states that Bolsonaro was already acting in the perspective of a coup since 2019
Throughout its almost 900 pages, the PF report accuses Bolsonaro and the other defendants of being part of a criminal organization and seeking the abolition of the democratic regime. The corporation highlighted that Bolsonaro had been spreading false suspicions of electoral fraud since 2019, to justify measures after his defeat in 2022.
The PF report says that the evidence obtained throughout the investigation “unequivocally demonstrates that the then President of the Republic planned, acted and had direct and effective control over the executional acts carried out by the criminal organization that aimed to carry out a coup d’état and the Abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law, a fact that was not accomplished due to circumstances beyond his control”.
“The evidentiary framework indicates that the group investigated, led by Jair Bolsonaro, created, developed and disseminated the false narrative of the existence of vulnerability and fraud in the electronic voting system since 2019, with the aim of consolidating in the population the false reality of electoral fraud for the narrative to subsequently achieve two objectives: first, not to be interpreted as a possible casuistic act in the case of electoral defeat and, second and more relevant, to be used as a basis for the acts that took place after the defeat of the then candidate”, adds the PF.
According to the PF narrative, Bolsonaro would have pressured military leaders and promoted acts of disinformation to discredit electronic voting machines. Among the evidence cited are meetings with ministers to disseminate pro-coup theories and the drafting and review of a defense state decree to redo the elections.
The report also points to the Bolsonaro administration’s support for demonstrations in front of barracks and involvement on January 8, 2023, when the headquarters of the Three Powers were invaded. Finally, the PF claims that the former president knew and gave consent to the plan to execute Lula, Alckmin and Moraes.
Bolsonaro sees persecution in the investigation that points to him as the mastermind of the coup
The former president’s allies dispute the PF’s conclusions. “An attempt is made to build a narrative based on lies to try to attribute to Bolsonaro an attempted coup that never happened. What is at stake from what they are trying to do with the former president is everyone’s freedom and the rule of law in the country”, said senator Márcio Bittar (União Brasil-AC).
The former president alleges “persecution”, which dates back to his first race for the presidency of the Republic, in 2018.
The corporation’s investigations indicated that retired general Mário Fernandes, former executive secretary of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, was at the forefront of the plan. “Are you going to stage a coup with a retired general and four senior officers? Where are the Armed Forces?” asked Bolsonaro. For him, the report is full of “creativity” and has undergone several adjustments in recent days.
Former president Michel Temer (MDB) had a similar reaction this Monday (25). According to him, there was no great risk of assassination of Lula and other authorities because the attempts would not go ahead. “If the Armed Forces are not willing to do so, there is no possible coup in the country,” he stated.
Audio would suggest that Bolsonaro’s “democratic” stance contained the coup plot
For Jair Bolsonaro’s close allies, the messages captured by the PF speak in favor of the former president. Proof of this, according to them, would be the moment that Colonel Reginaldo Vieira de Abreu reacted with insults to the “four lines of the Constitution”, in a conversation with General Mario Fernandes.
The criticism by Abreu, then chief of staff to General Fernandes, alludes to the expression “playing within the four lines of the Constitution”, frequently used by Bolsonaro in 2022. For allies, this defense of obedience to the Magna Carta suggests that the former president prevented the disruption of the democratic order.
The investigation revealed 55 audios exchanged between high-ranking military personnel who discussed the possibility of a coup d’état, with the elimination of Lula, Alckmin and Moraes as the starting point. The messages were announced in advance on the Fantástico program, on TV Globonot Sunday (24).
In one of these conversations, Mário Fernandes said: “The president has to decide and sign this…”. The interlocutor replied: “Are you going to wait for Venezuela to react?” The plan, called “Green and Yellow Dagger”, would be scheduled for December 15, 2022. PF delegates claim that those involved used high technical-military knowledge to organize the plan, carried out in November and December.
“Some say that my fault was playing fair in a country where there were a lot of hidden things. If I leave today, it was worth it,” said Bolsonaro with a choked voice in a video released on social media last Monday (25).
Deputy sees coup narrative as justification for escalating arbitrariness
For deputy Zé Trovão (PL-SC), the accusation of an attempted coup loses credibility in the face of the audios that reveal dissatisfaction among the supposed executors of the plan with Jair Bolsonaro. According to him, the arrest of individuals accused of planning violent acts against authorities aimed to “build an image of insurrection promoted by opponents of the current government, allegedly interested in destabilizing the country”.
The parliamentarian argues that, in a scenario where public institutions are increasingly equipped, such accusations serve to foster a climate of insecurity and increase political polarization. This, according to him, makes it difficult to distinguish between legitimate resistance actions and supposed subversion plans.
“The strengthening of this coup narrative not only covers up internal problems, such as the economic crisis, but also seeks to justify the repression of criticism and the tightening of social control, delegitimizing dissenting voices,” he stated.
On Sunday (24), the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) issued a note expressing concern about respect for due legal process during the investigation into the alleged plan to assassinate authorities. The entity highlighted that “justice is not achieved with summary convictions” and warned of the need to guarantee adequate procedures.
