Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, former aide-de-camp to Jair Bolsonaro (PL), gave a new statement this Thursday afternoon (21) to the Minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) Alexandre de Moraes, in which he pointed out that the former -Commander of the Armed Forces and former vice-presidential candidate, General Walter Braga Netto, participated in the alleged planning of a coup d’état. The information comes from Federal Police sources with knowledge of the testimony. At the end of the testimony, Moraes decided that Cid’s plea agreement will be maintained.
Braga Netto was one of those indicted by the Federal Police this Thursday, accused of the crimes of violent abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law, coup d’état and criminal organization. The former minister has not yet spoken out following his indictment. On Tuesday, the date of the Contragolpe operation, his defense said that Moraes gave access to representation and that he will only speak out after reading the document. The former minister’s interlocutors said that he denies any connection or dialogue with the alleged coup plan.
Cid arrived at the STF at around 1:30 pm this Thursday and was taken to the testimony location, where Moraes questioned him via videoconference for around three hours. Mauro Cid’s defense had already stated, before the interrogation, that Bolsonaro’s former advisor was willing to say “everything he knew” about the alleged coup coordination scheme and that this included information not previously confirmed to the authorities, including they were to point out Braga Netto as one of the organizers.
On Tuesday (19), Cid also gave a statement to the Federal Police (PF) in Brasília (DF). He was summoned to provide new clarifications, both to the PF and Moraes, after the PF located conversations and information on his electronic devices that would point to the planning of an alleged coup d’état at the end of 2022, after the election of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).
According to the PF, information recovered from Cid’s devices and cross-referenced with devices seized from other investigators, would indicate the existence of a plan to kidnap and even murder Lula, the vice-president, Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), and minister Alexandre de Moraes, who at the time was president of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE).
On Tuesday, Cid’s defense denied his connection with the events and said that he had no knowledge of planning violent actions.
Also on Thursday afternoon, the PF concluded the report on the investigation investigating the acts of January 8th with a request for the indictment of former president Jair Bolsonaro and 36 other people, including the five arrested in Operation Countercoup last Tuesday, Mauro Cid himself and Braga Netto.
Braga Netto’s defense repudiates investigation leak after indictment
General Walter Braga Netto’s defense “vehemently” repudiated the leaking of information from inquiries to the press “to the detriment of due access to the parties directly involved and interested”. Former Minister of Defense, Braga Netto was indicted by the Federal Police this Thursday (19) for an alleged attempted coup d’état.
“The technical defense of General Walter Souza Braga Netto highlights and vehemently repudiates, and from the outset, the undue dissemination of information relating to investigations,
granted ‘first hand’ to certain press vehicles to the detriment of
due access to the parties directly involved and interested”, says the note signed by lawyers Luís Henrique Prata, Gabriella Venâncio and Francisco de Lima.
The general’s defense highlighted that “it will await official receipt of the information to adopt a formal and reasoned position”. Former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) was also indicted in the investigation.
