With current Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro lagging in the polls, fears that he might attempt a coup similar to Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 U.S. elections are rife. Now, Brazilian police have raided several businessmen supporting the president for allegedly plotting a coup in case Bolsonaro does lose.

According to the Associated Press, these businessmen have backed Bolsonaro's re-election bid and a media report accused them of discussing a coup if ever their candidate did not win. Screenshots of a conversation between the businessmen were posted by local Brazilian news outlet Metropoles, and this led to the raid.

Accused Coup Plotters Include Billionaire Department Store Owner and Construction Mogul

Brazilian Federal Police confirmed the raids and revealed that they have obtained eight search warrants across five states. This was at the direction of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the head of Brazil's Supreme Court. However, the police did not release any names, though the media has obtained information on several people who are being investigated.

According to Reuters, the targets of the raids include the CEO of Multiplan Empreendimentos Imobiliarios SA, as well as Meyer Joseph Nigri, chairman of construction firm Tecnisa SA. The respective companies refused to comment on the raids.

One of Jair Bolsonaro's most prominent supporters, billionaire Luciano Hang, who founded the department store chain Havan, was also targeted. However, while the others remained silent, he sent off a tweet saying that the article showing off the screenshots of their WhatsApp chats was irresponsible and did not place any context on the situation. He added that he never spoke about a coup and has "always defended democracy and freedom of expression."

Since the Metropoles article came out, many of the other businessmen have since come out and said that they support democracy and not a coup. Investigations into the matter are still ongoing.

The other businessmen who were raided include Afrânio Barreira Filho, owner of the Coco Bambu group, Ivan Wrobel of W3 Engenharia, André Tissot, of Sierra Móveis, billionaire Marco Aurélio Raymundo or Mormaii, and José Koury, the owner of Barra World Shopping.

READ MORE: Jair Bolsonaro Net Worth 2022: How He Went From Middle-Class Soldier to One of Brazil's Wealthiest Leaders

Pres. Jair Bolsonaro Complains About the Raids on His Richest Supporters to Businessmen

Following the raids, President Jair Bolsonaro had lunch with businessmen from the Esfera group. There, the president reportedly complained to the businessmen about the raids on his allies. According to a report by Metropeles, he considered the raids ordered by Chief Justice Moraes to be "unnecessary and disproportionate."

Bolsonaro also complained to the businessmen about the articles which revealed the WhatsApp conversations of his political backers.

The president is currently trailing in the polls against his top rival and former Brazilian president, Lula. Because of this, Bolsonaro has tried sowing doubts into the election results. His rhetoric and actions are fanning fears among human rights activists and opposition figures that he might attempt a coup if he loses, and the leaked conversations between Bolsonaro's richest backers have certainly made those fears even more substantiated.

READ MORE: Brazil: Jair Bolsonaro Supporter Kills Opposition Party Official

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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