Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and his aides have been indicted for allegedly plotting a 2022 coup

Brazilian police said Thursday they charged former President Jair Bolsonaro with 36 other people it is said that he was trying to overthrow the government to keep him in office after losing the 2022 election.

The police said that what they found was presented on Thursday to the Supreme Court of Brazil, which must decide whether to refer it to the Attorney General Paulo Gonet, who will formally indict Bolsonaro and put him on trial, or dismiss the investigation.

The former right-wing president has dismissed all allegations that he tried to stay in office after losing the 2022 election to his rival, left President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro has faced a series of legal threats since then.

Police said in a brief statement that the Supreme Court agreed to reveal the names of all 37 people charged “to avoid the spread of negative news.” The 700-page police document will take several days for the court to review, said Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes.

A number of former and current Bolsonaro aides were also charged, including Gen. Walter Braga Netto, his former running mate in the 2022 campaign; former Army Commander Gen. Paulo Sergio Nogueira de Oliveira; Valdemar Costa Neto, chairman of Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party; and his veteran advisor, Gen. Augusto Heleno.

The investigation began last year. On Tuesday, four soldiers and one police agent were arrested as part of the same investigation.

Other investigations focused on Bolosnaro’s possible activities in smuggling diamond jewelry to Brazil without properly declaring it, and directing an underling to commit falsehoods. vaccination status of others for COVID-19. Bolsonaro has denied any involvement in either.

Another investigation found that he abused his authority to question the country’s voting system, too judges bar him from running again until 2030.

The far-reaching investigation has weakened Bolsonaro’s position as leader of Brazil’s right wing, said Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper University in Sao Paulo.

“Bolsonaro is already banned from running in the 2026 elections,” Melo told the Associated Press.

“And if he is convicted, he may be arrested at that time. To avoid jail time, he will have to convince the Supreme Court judges that he was not involved in a conspiracy involving a number of his aides. That is a very tall order,” said Melo.