Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is under investigation as part of a probe into an alleged attempted coup to keep him in power, according to one of his former aides.
Four people were arrested and 33 search warrants executed Thursday as part of the probe, Brazilian Federal Police said in a statement.
“On Thursday (8/2), the [Brazil] Federal Police launched Operation Tempus Veritatis to investigate the criminal organization that acted in an attempt to stage a coup d’état and abolish the Democratic Rule of Law, in order to gain political advantage by keeping the then President of the Republic in power,” the statement read.
A further 48 precautionary measures were also enforced, including a ban on contact with other people under investigation; a ban on leaving the country, with an order to surrender passports within 24 hours; and a ban on exercising public functions, said police.
Police have not named any of those under investigation, but Fabio Wajngarten, a lawyer representing Bolsonaro, confirmed that the former president is among their number in a post on X.
Bolsonaro will surrender his passport “in compliance with today’s decisions,” Wajngarten added.
Credit: cnn.com
