SAO PAULO 鈥� A trove of leaked audio recordings from late 2022 reveal high-ranking members of 's army discussing efforts to pressure to carry out a coup and remain in power.
The 53 recordings, obtained by the Federal Police and accessed by The Associated Press on Monday, provide a rare chance to hear military members expressing in their own voices their desire to keep from taking office.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees the police's sprawling investigation, quoted some of those recordings in his ruling last week ordering the arrest of five people for plotting the assassination of then-President-elect Lula in 2022 and then attempting to , when Bolsonaro supporters destroyed government buildings in capital Brasilia.
Recordings from one former army officer 鈥� who was not among those de Moraes ordered arrested last week 鈥� are particularly supportive of a coup, and weren't referenced in de Moraes' order.
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Col. Roberto Raimundo Criscuoli, a former subcommander of the army's special forces, told retired Brig. Gen. Mario Fernandes, who was then second in command at the general secretary of the presidency, that the far-right leader had a clear choice after Lula won his third, non-consecutive term.
鈥淚t will be either a civil war now or civil war later. We have a justification now for civil war; people are on the streets, we have massive support,鈥� Criscuoli said in one of the audios. 鈥淟et's do this now. Speak to 01.鈥�
01 is a common reference to Brazil's president.
Neither the former president nor his ministers are heard speaking. The recordings are not directly related to the Nov. 21 formal accusation by Brazil's police that Bolsonaro and 36 others .
The Brazilian army did not respond to a request for comment about the Federal Police investigation.
Bolsonaro frequently cast doubt on the election results without providing any evidence and never conceded. He left for the United States days before Lula鈥檚 inauguration on Jan. 1, 2023 and stayed there for months, keeping a low profile. The top electoral court has ruled Bolsonaro ineligible to run for president until 2030 for abuse of power, and he is also the target of several .
Other recordings are less explicit in their wording about the urgent need for a coup. In a voice message to Gen. Fernandes, Col. Reginaldo Vieira de Abreu used an expression frequently repeated by Bolsonaro to argue the country's constitution should be ignored.
"We are at war, they are winning. It is almost over and they haven鈥檛 fired a single shot. It is because of our incompetence,鈥� he said.
In a recording from Dec. 8, Bolsonaro鈥檚 aide-de-camp, Lt. Col. Mauro Cid, is heard telling Gen. Fernandes that time was running out to keep his boss in office.
鈥淥n the 12th... It would have to be before the 12th, right?鈥� Cid said, referencing the day that the electoral court would certify Lula's victory. 鈥淚 will speak to the president. The thing is his personality sometimes. He waits, waits, waits, waits to see where it is going. To see who supports him. But sometimes time is short, right? We can't wait much longer.鈥�
De Moraes' arrest order last week makes reference to Cid's comment, but it did not include his full statement.
Cid was already under house arrest, after having signed a plea bargain deal with authorities last year. His testimony has helped authorities collect evidence in different cases targeting Bolsonaro and some of his key aides, including Walter Braga Netto, Bolsonaro's chief of staff and running mate for reelection.
In the recordings, Gen. Fernandes, who was among those de Moraes ordered arrested last week, repeatedly claimed Brazil鈥檚 presidential election had been rigged for Lula and insisted the military high command should be pressured to aid Bolsonaro's cause before his leftist rival assumed power.
鈥淎ny solution, you know, will not happen without breaking eggs," he said. "We have to go for it. We have popular support.鈥�
Thousands of Bolsonaro followers camped outside army facilities to pressure military leaders to side with the then-president. Media reports at the time said there was not enough support in the high command for a coup. Bolsonaro supporters only returned home after the Jan. 8 riot, upon orders from the newly installed army commander.
