STORY: Brazil's ex-president Bolsonaro faces charges over alleged coup plot
SHOOTING TIME: file
DATELINE: Feb. 19, 2025
LENGTH: 00:00:44
LOCATION: RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Brazil's ex-president Jair Bolsonaro (file)
2. various of Brazil's Congress and the presidential palace

STORYLINE:

Brazil's prosecutor-general has filed criminal charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro and his allies, accusing them of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2022 presidential election.

In a legal filing with the Federal Supreme Court on Tuesday, Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet alleged that Bolsonaro not only took part in the coup plot but was also aware of and approved an assassination attempt against President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Local media reports indicate that the lawsuit details specific actions taken by Bolsonaro and his associates to block Lula from assuming office and illegally alter the election outcome. Prosecutors argue that these actions directly threatened Brazil's democratic institutions and violated the constitution.

Should the court accept the charges, Bolsonaro could face criminal prosecution.

The former president has yet to respond to the allegations but has previously denied any wrongdoing, asserting that he has always acted within the constitution.

Bolsonaro lost the October 2022 presidential election to Lula in a closely contested runoff.

On Jan. 8, 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed government buildings, including Congress, the presidential palace, and the Supreme Court. The violent unrest caused widespread damage and led to a sweeping judicial investigation, with several individuals already facing prosecution.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
(XHTV)