Former president stated that he was not aware of plans to arrest or assassinate elected president Lula, vice Geraldo Alckmin and minister Alexandre de Moraes
The former president, of , revealed that the possibility of a state of siege was analyzed at the end of his term, but denied any involvement in a coup d’état. In his statements, he emphasized that “a coup d’état is a serious thing” and that such an issue was never debated during his administration. “It’s like Temer said today. Temer said something obvious: a coup d’état must have the participation of all the Armed Forces, otherwise it is not a coup d’état. Nobody carries out a coup d’état on a Sunday, in Brasília, with people who were there with Bibles under their arms and the Brazilian flag in their hands, not even using slingshots and marbles, much less lipstick. There was no commander. […] Let’s get this out of our heads. No one is going to stage a coup with a retired general and half a dozen officers. On my part, there was never any discussion of a coup,” said the former president. Furthermore, Bolsonaro stated that he was not aware of plans to arrest or assassinate president-elect Lula, vice Geraldo Alckmin and minister Alexandre de Moraes. The former president stated that the word coup “was never” in his dictionary. “I don’t and would never do anything outside the four lines.” For him, “it is possible to solve Brazil’s problems within the Constitution”.
“If someone came to talk to me about a scam, I would say: ‘Okay, okay, what about the after day? How does the world look before us? Now all possible measures within the four lines, within the Constitution, I studied”, he stated. Recently, the Federal Police indicted 37 individuals, including Bolsonaro, for attempting a coup d’état and forming a criminal organization. Investigations revealed that there were coup plans in 2022, which included attacks on the electoral system and a document that mentioned the possibility of eliminating authorities. The former president did not delve into the details of the investigation, but reaffirmed that all actions discussed were in accordance with the Constitution.
Bolsonaro also criticized Minister Alexandre de Moraes, claiming that the Republic and Defense councils were not convened to debate the issue of the state of siege. Since February, he has maintained that a coup cannot be carried out “using the Constitution”, defending his position that the measures considered were legitimate. The situation surrounding the investigations continues to unfold, with public attention focused on legal and political developments. Bolsonaro’s stance, by distancing himself from any coup connotations, reflects his attempt to maintain an image of legality amid a troubled scenario.
In the document sent to the Federal Supreme Court (STF) last Thursday, the 21st, the PF indicted Bolsonaro and 36 other people – including generals Augusto Heleno (former head of the GSI), Braga Netto (former Minister of Defense and Bolsonaro’s vice-president on the defeated ticket in 2022), Paulo Sérgio Nogueira (former commander of the Army) and Estevam Cals Theophilo Gaspar de Oliveira (former head of the Army Land Operations Command), the former commander of the Navy, Admiral Almir Garnier Santos, the president of the PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, his former aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid and the former Minister of Justice Anderson Torres – for the crimes of violent abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law, coup d’état and criminal organization. Combined, the sentences reach 28 years in prison.
Published by Sarah Paula
*Report produced with the help of AI
