New statements before the Court, by former military leaders, indicate that former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro had proposed to the country's military leadership to carry out a coup d'état before the end of his term.
First modification:
3 min
Marco Antonio Freire Gomes, former commander of the Army, and Carlos Baptista Júnior, former commander of the Air Force, directly accused former president Jair Bolsonaro of having tried to carry out a coup d'état to prevent the inauguration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The Minister of the Supreme Court of Brazil, Alexandre de Moraes, lifted the confidentiality of the statements of Bolsonaro, ministers, soldiers and others involved in the investigation into an alleged coup attempt to reverse the result of the 2022 elections.
It is the first time that the former president's name is directly mentioned in the investigations into the alleged coup takeover led by Bolsonaro.
The far-right has completely denied his involvement in the events that occurred on January 8, when thousands of Bolsonaro activists attacked the headquarters of the three branches of government in an attempt to lead the military to overthrow the Government.
'Coup decree'
These statements include those of the two former commanders, who directly implicated the former president. The former head of the Air Force, Baptista Jr, reported a meeting on December 14, 2022 with the then Minister of Defense, Paulo Sérgio de Oliveira.
According to the story, de Oliveira would have presented a document to the heads of the Armed Forces to prevent Lula's possession, on January 8, 2023.
While the then head of the Army, Marco Antonio Freire Gomes, in his statement before the Federal Police, on March 1, said that the far-right leader met on December 7, 2022, shortly before leaving power, with the heads of the Army, Aeronautics and Navy at the Alvorada Palace, the official residence of the Presidency, to propose different legal mechanisms with the intention of remaining in power.
That day, Freire Gomes said, a decree with coup intention was presented to the leadership, which later had another version at the meeting on December 14, which coincides with what Baptista Jr. declared.
That document provided for the establishment of a state of siege and an intervention in the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE), the body responsible for the elections in Brazil, to “speed up the conformity and legality of the electoral process.”
There is talk of a third meeting in this regard, but without specifying a date. According to their statements, the head of the Army and the Air Force opposed any act that broke with Brazil's democratic course, while the former head of the Navy, Almir Garnier, would have supported Bolsonaro's proposal.
Bolsonaro remains silent
The former president has preferred to remain silent in the face of recent statements. On his social networks he has decided to publish videos about the support he would have in various cities in the country.
Bolsonaro is currently facing various criminal investigations that are about to reach a sentence. Furthermore, in his attempt to be a candidate again, the far-right has been declared politically ineligible until 2030 for spreading erroneous electoral information during the 2022 campaign.
In addition, the Supreme Court recently issued precautionary measures to prevent his escape. The Police confiscated his passport, prohibited him from leaving the country and from contacting other defendants while the investigations continue.
The possible charges, which include attempting to overthrow the democratic state, extortion and falsification of documents, carry a total maximum prison sentence of 55 years.
However, in several live broadcasts, some with his children, the former president has denied his participation in the events of January 8. He claims to be a victim of political persecution by the current Government.
With Reuters, AFP, AP, EFE and local media
#military #commanders #accuse #Bolsonaro #proposed #coup #d39état