Brazil’s Supreme Court gives go-ahead to investigate Jair Bolsonaro for storming of capital
Ryan King
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Brazil’s Supreme Court authorized a review of former President Jair Bolsonaro’s role in the Jan. 8 storming of the country’s government offices in Brasilia.
On Friday, Justice Alexandre de Moraes approved a petition from prosecutors to add Bolsonaro to the government’s inquiry into his supporters ransacking the National Congress, Supreme Court, and Presidential Palace in Brasilia. The attack was eerily reminiscent of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
BRAZILIANS DEMAND ‘NO AMNESTY’ FOR RIOTERS WHO STORMED CAPITAL
Bolsonaro has trafficked in claims that malfeasance deprived him of victory against rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was sworn in as president on New Year’s Day. This includes elevating disputed assertions that voting machines malfunctioned and sharing a subsequently deleted video of a woman casting doubt on Lula’s victory.
“By posting a video on January 10 (two days after the attack) questioning the legality of the 2022 presidential elections, Bolsonaro delivered a public incitement to commit crimes,” a Brazilian prosecutor’s office said per CNN.
The court’s move marks the first time Bolsonaro has faced legal scrutiny since the riots took place. The court also approved a request from prosecutors to call on Meta to retain the video he shared on Facebook. Bolsonaro, who has been away in Florida since Dec. 30, denied culpability for the attack.
“President Bolsonaro vehemently rejects the acts of vandalism and depredation of public patrimony committed by the infiltrators in the protest. He never had any connection or participation in these spontaneous social movements done by the people,” his son Flavio said in a statement the news outlet reported.
Bolsonaro is currently embroiled in at least five major inquiries pertaining to his alleged abuse of power, fraud, promulgation of misinformation, and leaking of classified information, as well as his handling of the pandemic. His successor, Lula, was previously arrested on corruption and money laundering charges in 2018, but the Supreme Court stepped in and scrapped those charges in 2019, paving the way for his rise to power.
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Lula blasted the protesters as “fanatic fascists” and tapped government forces to subdue the rioting. Law enforcement has since arrested over 1,000 rioters, some of whom smashed windows and vandalized property. Other world leaders, such as President Joe Biden, have roundly criticized the assault on Brasilia.
During his stay in Florida, Bolsonaro was admitted to a hospital near Orlando to receive treatment for severe abdominal pain — likely stemming from the stabbing attack he suffered in 2018.