This Thursday (21) the Federal Police indicted former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and 36 other people – including military personnel, former ministers and allies – in the investigation investigating an alleged attempted coup d’état in the country. The possibility of closing this stage of the investigation had been circulating behind the scenes since early on, and was confirmed this afternoon after sending the report, which is under secrecy, to Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF). The document is not yet a final version.
According to the People’s Gazettefor the PF, Bolsonaro knew about the alleged planning of a coup d’état and the actions that were being articulated to make it happen. According to the PF, among those indicted are military personnel who held ministries in the former president’s government:
- Augustus Helenus: general former minister of the Institutional Security Office (GSI);
- Walter Braga net: general former Minister of Defense, vice-president on Bolsonaro’s ticket in the 2022 re-election campaign and identified as a key player in the alleged coup attempt;
- Paulo Sérgio Nogueira: general also former Minister of Defense;
- Almir Garnier Santos: Admiral former commander of the Navy.
In addition to them, the PL president, Valdemar Costa Neto; and the federal deputy Alexandre Ramagem (PL-RJ), who commanded the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin) during the Bolsonaro government (see below for the full list of those indicted by the PF).
Ramagem is also being investigated in the case of the “parallel Abin”, which allegedly spied on authorities such as politicians, STF ministers and journalists.
“The evidence was obtained through various police investigations carried out over almost two years, based on breaches of telematic, telephone, banking, tax confidentiality, award-winning collaboration, searches and seizures, among other measures duly authorized by the Judiciary”, said the PF in a note.
Also according to the authority, “the investigations showed that those investigated were structured through division of tasks, which allowed for the individualization of conduct.”
After receiving the report, Minister Alexandre de Moraes must submit it to the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), which will have two weeks to decide whether to agree with the indictment requests, request archiving or indicate new steps.
Six lines of action for the alleged coup
Also according to the Federal Police, the indictment report – of more than 800 pages – highlights six areas of activity for the group:
- Nucleus of disinformation and attacks on the electoral system;
- Unit responsible for inciting military personnel to join the coup d’état;
- Legal core;
- Operational center to support coup actions;
- Parallel intelligence core;
- Operational nucleus for compliance with coercive measures.
“With the delivery of the report, the Federal Police closes the investigations regarding the attempted coup d’état and violent abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law”, adds the PF in a note.
The authority informed that those mentioned will be indicted for the crimes of violent abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law, coup d’état and criminal organization.
Indicted by the PF
See below the complete list of people indicted by the Federal Police for alleged attempted coup d’état:
- Ailton Gonçalves Moraes Barros
- Alexandre Castilho Bitencourt Da Silva
- Alexandre Rodrigues Ramagem
- Almir Garnier Santos
- Amauri Feres Saad
- Anderson Gustavo Torres
- Anderson Lima De Moura
- Angelo Martins Denicoli
- Augusto Heleno Ribeiro Pereira
- Bernardo Romao Correa Netto
- Carlos Cesar Moretzsohn Rocha
- Carlos Giovani Delevati Pasini
- Cleverson Ney Magalhães
- Estevam Cals Theophilo Gaspar De Oliveira
- Fabrício Moreira De Bastos
- Filipe Garcia Martins
- Fernando Cerimedo
- Giancarlo Gomes Rodrigues
- Guilherme Marques De Almeida
- Hélio Ferreira Lima
- Jair Messias Bolsonaro
- José Eduardo De Oliveira E Silva
- Laercio Vergilio
- Marcelo Bormevet
- Marcelo Costa Câmara
- Mario Fernandes
- Mauro Cesar Barbosa Cid
- Nilton Diniz Rodrigues
- Paulo Renato De Oliveira Figueiredo Filho
- Paulo Sérgio Nogueira De Oliveira
- Rafael Martins De Oliveira
- Ronald Ferreira De Araujo Junior
- Sergio Ricardo Cavaliere De Medeiros
- Tércio Arnaud Tomaz
- Valdemar Costa Neto
- Walter Souza Braga Netto
- Wladimir Matos Soares
Bolsonaro’s vice-president for re-election was a key player
Among the people closest to Bolsonaro, Braga Netto was identified by the Federal Police as a key player in the alleged coup attempt organized after the defeat in the 2022 presidential elections.
He is mentioned in the report of Operation Countercoup, launched last Tuesday (19) and which led to the arrest of four Army officers and a federal police officer. The investigation states that the group planned to assassinate the then-elected president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), vice Geraldo Alckmin (PSB) and minister Moraes himself.
According to the order signed by Minister Alexandre de Moraes, “the Federal Police were successful in identifying a draft for the establishment of a Crisis Cabinet, which would be created on 12/16/2022, after the coup d’état, composed mostly of military, under the command of generals Augusto Heleno and Braga Netto, with the participation of general Mário Fernandes and Filipe Martins”. The document also describes a series of other names that would make up this provisional cabinet.
General Braga Netto, according to the investigation, was one of the main organizers of the plan, which even included the use of official vehicles and the use of advanced espionage and infiltration techniques. Documents indicated in the investigation revealed, according to the PF, that the military discussed the operational costs of the missions, estimated at around R$100,000, covering expenses with transportation, accommodation and materials.
The sending of the investigation to the STF occurs in parallel with the testimony of Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, Bolsonaro’s former aide-de-camp, to Moraes about alleged omissions in the plea bargain agreement in relation to the investigations into the assassination plan of Lula, Alckmin and Moraes . If the magistrate understands that the soldier omitted information, the agreement may be revoked and he may return to prison.
