A Brazilian congressional committee on Wednesday formally asked prosecutors to investigate former president Jair Bolsonaro on several possible charges including a coup attempt over riots by his supporters in January.
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The committee investigating the January 8 invasion of the presidential palace, Supreme Court and Congress buildings voted 20-11 to adopt a final report finding the far-right ex-president should face charges of attempting to overthrow the rule of law, political violence and criminal conspiracy.
The 1,300-page report — the outcome of nearly five months of drama-filled hearings by the joint Senate and lower-house committee — does not legally bind the prosecutor general’s office to act.
But it is the latest in a raft of legal woes for Bolsonaro, 68, who is already under investigation for various allegations of corruption and abuse of office.
Bolsonaro, who was president from 2019 to 2022, was also barred in June from running for election for eight years, over his unproven fraud allegations against Brazil’s electronic voting system.
“We cannot give amnesty to those who attempt a coup,” left-wing lawmaker Jandira Feghali said during the committee’s final debate.
Across the aisle, pro-Bolsonaro lawmaker Nicholas Ferreira condemned it as a “partial and lying report.”
Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters overwhelmed security to invade the halls of power during the riots, calling on the military to oust President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro, who lost to veteran leftist Lula in a divisive election in October 2022, was in the United States at the time, having snubbed his arch-rival’s inauguration one week before.
But the report found he instigated his supporters’ actions, including before leaving office.
The committee also called on prosecutors to charge military officers including Bolsonaro’s ex-defense minister, General…
