Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been officially indicted for allegedly orchestrating a far-right conspiracy aimed at retaining power through a military coup.

On Tuesday night, Paulo Gonet, the attorney general of Brazil, revealed the charges against Bolsonaro, a prominent figure in the radical right-wing movement, along with several of his associates. Gonet accused Bolsonaro and six key allies of heading a criminal organization with plans for an “authoritarian power initiative.”

If found guilty, Bolsonaro could face a prison sentence ranging from 38 to 43 years for charges including involvement in an attempted coup d’état, participation in an armed criminal organization, and violent actions against the legal system. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing, stating to reporters on Tuesday that he is “not at all concerned about these allegations.”

These charges follow a stunning 884-page report from federal police three months earlier, which alleged that Bolsonaro, who served as president from 2019 to 2022, played a significant role in devising a conspiracy intended to prevent the leftist winner of Brazil’s 2022 presidential election, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, from assuming office.

Despite losing the election to Lula, Bolsonaro refused to acknowledge his defeat. On January 8, 2023, his staunch supporters engaged in violent protests in Brasília, attacking the presidential palace, Congress, and the Supreme Court in an effort to overturn the widely recognized election outcome.

The attorney general’s office also implicated an additional 33 individuals in this alleged conspiracy, including Bolsonaro’s former intelligence chief, far-right Congressman Alexandre Ramagem; former defense ministers Gen Walter Braga Netto and Gen Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira; former justice and public security minister Anderson Torres; former minister of institutional security Gen Augusto Heleno; and former navy commander Adm Almir Garnier Santos. Netto has denied any involvement in the coup plot, while the others have not yet responded publicly to the allegations.

Perhaps most alarmingly, the attorney general’s extensive report mentioned that Bolsonaro was allegedly informed about a plot—dubbed the “Green and Yellow Dagger”—which aimed to create chaos by assassinating high-ranking officials, including Lula and Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes.

The document asserted, “The plan was conceived and presented to the president of the republic [Bolsonaro], who approved it.” It suggested that the scheme involved planned attacks using weapons against Minister Alexandre de Moraes and even proposed poisoning Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The announcement of formal charges against Bolsonaro was met with approval from opposition leaders and progressive Brazilians, who criticize the former president for his anti-scientific response to the Covid-19 pandemic, his antagonism toward minorities and Indigenous peoples, and his ongoing assaults on Brazil’s democratic institutions.

Gleisi Hoffmann, president of Lula’s Workers’ Party, described the formal charges as “a crucial step in defending democracy and the rule of law.”

In response to the charges, Bolsonaro’s senator son, Flávio Bolsonaro, dismissed the claims on X, asserting that there is “absolutely NO PROOF against Bolsonaro.”

The case will now be reviewed by the Supreme Court, which will determine the fates of Bolsonaro and his alleged co-conspirators. This decision is anticipated to occur in the first half of this year.

Historian Carlos Fico, a prominent scholar on the military dictatorship that took over Brazil following the 1964 coup, noted that the indictment was especially significant as it included three high-ranking military officials: Gen Braga Netto, Gen Heleno, and Adm Garnier Santos.

“The most significant aspect is not Bolsonaro’s indictment—he is, after all, an open admirer of the military dictatorship and its use of torture—but rather the prosecution of the generals,” said Fico, who is a history professor at Rio’s Federal University. “The prosecution of generals through a judicial process led by federal police, endorsed by the attorney general, and set to be evaluated by the Supreme Court is unparalleled in Brazil’s history.”

Fico added, “Historically, numerous coup plotters were never held accountable and were granted amnesty. I hope that this time, there will be no amnesty given.”