Brazil’s General Attorney denounces Bolsonaro for coup attempt

In February 2025, Brazil's Attorney General's Office (PGR) indicted former president Jair Bolsonaro before the Supreme Court for being part of a criminal organization that led an attempted coup d'état in Brazil after his defeat in the 2022 elections. The details of this indictment were reported by Juliana Dal Piva in her column in ICL News.

The STF (Supreme Federal Court) will now analyze the document and decide whether to initiate criminal proceedings against Bolsonaro and the others accused.

The PGR decided to indict all those involved in the coup attempt, but opted to separate the charges against those involved according to areas of activity.

Bolsonaro is listed in the main piece, along with General Walter Braga Netto - a minister in his government and vice-president on the losing slate in the 2022 election. Also in the group are former ministers Augusto Heleno (Head of GSI, Institutional Security of the Presidency of the Republic), Paulo Sérgio Nogueira (Defense) and Anderson Torres (Justice), as well as Admiral Almir Garnier, commander of the Navy in the Bolsonaro government, and federal deputy Alexandre Ramagem, who headed Abin (Brazilian Intelligence Agency).

According to the PGR, Bolsonaro and the others “formed the crucial nucleus of the criminal organization” and “the main decisions and actions with a social impact” narrated in the complaint came from them.

In total, the PGR lists 34 people as members of the criminal organization set up by Bolsonaro to carry out a coup d'état in Brazil.

The PGR also states that Jair Bolsonaro not only became aware of, but gave his consent to the plan known as the “Punhal Verde e Amarelo” (Yellow & Green Dagger), in which military personnel linked to the special forces planned the assassination of President Lula, Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

“The plan was devised and brought to the attention of the President of the Republic, who agreed to it, at the same time as a report was released in which the Ministry of Defense was forced to acknowledge that there was no detection of fraud in the elections,” says the complaint.

In addition to Bolsonaro, the Federal Police (PF) had indicted 39 people, including former ministers, military personnel and some of his top aides. General Walter Braga Netto was also indicted and has been in prison since December. He is joined by General Augusto Heleno, former Minister of the Institutional Security Cabinet, former Defense Minister General Paulo Sérgio Nogueira and former Navy Commander Almir Garnier.

The “Punhal Verde e Amarelo” Plan

Data located on the cell phones and computers of those investigated show that, on November 9, 2022, General Mário Fernandes, former deputy head of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, printed out a plan to describe armed actions aimed at preventing Lula's inauguration, in other words, a coup. According to the investigations, the document was to be presented to General Braga Netto.

In the federal police report, it is described that the “document called ‘Punhal Verde e Amarelor’ was prepared and printed on November 9, 2022, at the Planalto Palace, headquarters of the Presidency of the Republic, by the Executive Secretary of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, General Mário Fernandes”. Data obtained from cell phone antennas shows that Jair Bolsonaro was in the building at the time of printing.

The coup plan describes the survey of Minister Alexandre de Moraes' security structure, the means that should be employed and the final action of arresting/executing the minister. The plan also establishes the possibility of assassinating then president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, by poisoning or using chemicals, and then vice-president-elect Geraldo Alckmin, with the aim of extinguishing the winning presidential team.