Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has accused his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro of being involved in the January 8th storming of government offices in Brasilia.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

In an interview with RedeTV!, President Lula stated that Bolsonaro “prepared the coup” and actively participated in the events. The storming took place a week after President Lula’s inauguration as president and was carried out by supporters of Bolsonaro who refused to accept the election loss.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro

Senator Marcos do Val has also accused the former president of being involved in preventing the handover of power. According to the senator, a plan was discussed to force Superior Electoral Court President Alexandre de Moraes to make incriminating statements and secretly record him. De Moraes has been a target of Bolsonaro supporters who believe he interfered in the election to help Lula.

Do Val initially claimed that Bolsonaro presented the plan but later changed his story to say that Bolsonaro remained silent during the meeting. The senator quoted Bolsonaro as saying “’I annul the election, Lula isn’t sworn in, I stay in the presidency and arrest Alexandre de Moraes because of his comments.’” These accusations have dominated the news and do Val has been called to give statements to the Federal Police.

Bolsonaro, who is currently in the United States, has not commented on the allegations and is being investigated as part of a probe into the January 8th events. He has requested a six-month visa to remain in the US. The tensions between the two former presidents continue to escalate as the investigation continues.