Brazil’s Bolsonaro grilled by police over coup plot

MEXICO CITY

Brazilian federal police questioned former President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday regarding an alleged conspiracy to topple his successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Bolsonaro was grilled for more than two hours over an alleged meeting on Dec. 9 between Senator Marcos do Val and former parliamentarian Daniel Silveira, during which the latter discussed launching a coup attempt against the newly elected Lula.

Do Val denounced the meeting and the contents of the conversation at a press conference in February.
According to Do Val, Silveira outlined the plot before Bolsanaro, which consisted of attempting to record Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the head of Brazil's electoral court, to say something compromising to disparage Brazil's electoral authority and possibly overturn Lula's election.

The conspiracy allegedly planned by Silveira relied on Do Val to record Moraes.

Following Do Val's comments, Moraes ordered a probe against Silveira and Do Val's accounts, representing the strongest case that Bolsonaro tried to overturn Lula's victory.

"Nothing happened on Dec. 8, especially because I had no connection with Mr. Marcos do Val. As far as I remember, I never had a meeting with him. I never received him in a meeting, except perhaps to get photographed, which is very common between us. So nothing was discussed. There was no plan," said Bolsonaro following his testimony before the federal police.

Shortly after Lula assumed office in January of this year, Bolsonaro loyalists stormed governmental offices on Jan. 8, which some labeled as an attempted coup. Since then, Lula has accused Bolsonaro of conspiring to ouster him as leader of Brazil.