Federal Police detained the general, who was one of the faces of a major coup by Jair Bolsonaro’s entourage
Walter Braga Netto’s former Defense Minister was arrested this Saturday for alleged attempts to interfere in the investigation related to what the Federal Police believe his supporters were organizing.
Now, Walter Braga Neto, who was arrested at his home in Rio de Janeiro, is one of the people implicated in the high-level conspiracy, having served as Jair Bolsonaro’s Minister of Defense between March 29, 2021 and April 1, 2022.
The retired general, who was accused by the Federal Police in November of conspiracy for a coup d’état that aimed to reverse the results of the last presidential elections, also served Jair Bolsonaro as his chief of staff, having even been the man nominated by the former president in his re-candidacy. 2022, in an election that culminated in the victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Walter Braga Netto denies any participation in the alleged conspiracy, but the accusation implicates him in the broad scheme that aimed to guarantee Jair Bolsonaro’s continuity in power. The scheme, which also involves other employees from the former administration, even included a plan for Lula da Silva’s death.
This arrest comes after the investigation concluded that the retired general had a greater role than previously thought in the alleged conspiracy, according to the president of the Superior Court of Justice, Alexandre de Moraes, who issued the arrest warrant, and in which it can be read that the former Defense Minister took on a “real leadership, organizing and financing role” in the scheme.
The arrest was accelerated by an alleged attempt by Walter Braga Netto to interfere in the investigations, notably by attempting to contact Mauro Cid, a former employee of Jair Bolsonaro who is collaborating with the authorities, in order to find out what he had told them. .
In the statement made public this Saturday, the Federal Police confirmed that they carried out two search warrants in connection with this arrest. In addition to Walter Braga Netto’s own house, the residence of Colonel Flávio Botelho Peregrino was also searched.
Walter Braga Netto is suspected of, among other things, having organized, in his own home, the meeting that served to plan the death of Lula da Silva and his vice-president, Geraldo Alckmin. The Federal Police also believe that the former Minister of Defense provided funds to the people responsible for carrying out the coup.
The former Minister of Defense will now be detained in a Federal Police center. According to the 1980 law, which is in force, high-ranking military officials can only be detained if they are caught in an ongoing criminal act, and must surrender to the army after registering that crime.
