Tuesday, January 17, 2023 | 8:45 a.m.
The Superior Electoral Court of Brazil gave former President Jair Bolsonaro a period of three days, starting this Monday, to explain the content of a draft decree found at the residence of one of his former ministers and considered as evidence that he intended to give a coup.
The deadline was established in a ruling by magistrate Benedito Gonçalves, of the electoral court, who ordered the inclusion of the so-called “coup document” in an investigation that is being carried out against the president for alleged abuse of power during his campaign for the presidential elections in October.
The controversial text is the draft of a decree that would have allowed Bolsonaro to establish a state of emergency to intervene in the highest electoral court and reverse the result of the October 30 elections, in which he was defeated by the progressive Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. .
The document was found by the Federal Police at the residence of Anderson Torres, who was Bolsonaro’s Justice Minister and has been detained since Saturday accused of alleged omission, since he was responsible for the security of Brasilia when thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the headquarters of the Presidency, Congress and the Supreme Court.
Bolsonaro was also included by the Supreme Court in the list of those investigated for the violent events of January 8, for his alleged participation as the mastermind of the attempted coup.
The judicial siege tightens on the ex-president, who is currently in the United States and who is suspected of inciting his supporters to invade and destroy the headquarters of Parliament, the Presidency and the Supreme Court on January 8.
Gonçalves also asked the Supreme Court to forward to the electoral court the document that would demonstrate the alleged intention of the far-right leader to carry out a coup and any other possible evidence found in Torres’ house that could be used in the investigation into political abuse during the campaign. .
In the event that Bolsonaro is found responsible for political abuse and the use of the official media in favor of his campaign, the electoral court can sentence him to a period of political disqualification of at least eight years.
Bolsonaro assured this Monday that the assault by his supporters on democratic institutions was “incredible.”
The former president, who spoke on Monday with several supporters who were in front of his accommodation in Florida (United States), indicated in turn that he regretted the episode of vandalism that occurred in Brasilia.
“I regret what happened on January 8, an incredible thing,” declared the former president, according to the Metropoles portal.
“In my government, people learned what politics is, they got to know the powers that be, they began to value freedom,” added the former president of the country.
In this way, the former Brazilian leader distanced himself from the coup attacks, contrasting with the speeches of his followers, according to the newspaper ‘Folha de Sao Paulo’.
These statements came days after Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes authorized an investigation into Bolsonaro for alleged incitement to crime, following a request from the Prosecutor’s Office.
