Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro might soon find himself dragged in the kind of legal nightmare that his role model, Donald Trump, has been fighting since he left office.
Since he narrowly lost last year’s presidential election to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, that barred him from upcoming elections, the prospect of jail time has reared its head.
Like his role model Donald Trump, the far-right blowhard was already the subject of police probes before, and during, his four years in office. But in what was an eerie replay of Donald Trump’s propagation of the “Big Lie,” Bolsonaro tried to undermine faith in Brazil’s voting system and that culminated in a Jan. 8 insurrection by thousands of his supporters in Brasilia. As a result, his problems have become much more serious.
Bolsonaro has repeatedly denied breaking any laws, and taking a leaf out of the Trump playbook, calls allegations against him a witch hunt by his political opponents.
Among the legal headaches now facing Bolsonaro:
BARRED FROM OFFICE TILL 2030
In June, Brazil’s federal electoral court (TSE) barred Bolsonaro from public office until 2030 for his conduct during last year’s election. Five out of seven justices voted to convict him of abuse of power and misuse of the media when, in July 2022, he summoned ambassadors to vent unfounded claims of vulnerabilities in Brazil’s electronic voting system.
CONGRESSIONAL INQUIRY
On Wednesday, a congressional probe which has been investigating the Jan. 8 insurrection by Bolsonaro’s supporters recommended that he and several allies face charges of criminal association, political violence, disrupting the democratic order and an attempted coup d’état. The inquiry has no power to punish Bolsonaro or others but can issue recommendations for them to face criminal or civil charges.
SUPREME COURT PROBES
Bolsonaro is still the subject of at least five criminal investigations led by the Supreme Court. They include alleged spreading of fake news about COVID-19 vaccines, leaking of details from a sealed federal police probe, interference in the federal police, propagation of online misinformation and masterminding the Jan. 8 riots in the capital.
AIDE TURNS STATE WITNESS
Bolsonaro and his former aides are also being investigated by the federal police for allegedly forging his vaccination records to travel to the United States. In May, police arrested former aide Mauro Cid for his alleged role in the scheme.
Cid was also a central player in another alleged racket, in which Bolsonaro and his team are suspected of selling expensive jewels given to his administration by the Saudi government.
In September 2023, after months in jail, Cid agreed to cooperate with the federal police and was freed from behind bars.
Also in September, Brazilian media reported that Cid allegedly told police that Bolsonaro had sounded out commanders of the armed forces about a draft decree to overturn the election.
This seems to be just the beginning of an accounting that he will have to face.
