The retired colonel was an advisor to the former minister, who was arrested this Saturday (Dec 14) in Operation Countercoup
In addition to the general (PL), the Federal Police carried out search and seizure warrants this Saturday (Dec 14, 2024), in operation Countercoup. One of them targeted retired colonel Flávio Botelho Peregrino.
He was an advisor to the then minister Braga Netto in the Civil House, from 2020 to 2021, and in the Ministry of Defense, from 2021 to 2022. Before that, Peregrino was part of the team of the spokesperson for the Presidency of the Republic Otávio Rêgo Barros, from January 2019 to October 2020. All functions were performed during the Presidency of (PL)
On August 8, 2024, he was appointed ( – PDF – 110 kB) to the office of (PL), district deputy and president of the (Constitution and Justice Commission) of .
In his military career, Flávio Peregrino stood out commanding the 24th Hunter Battalion – Battalion Barão de Caxias, in São Luís (MA), from January 2011 to January 2013, when he left the role.
BRAGA NETTO PRISON
Candidate for vice president on the ticket with Jair Bolsonaro in 2022, General Braga Netto for the Federal Police this Saturday (Dec 14). The warrant was authorized by the minister of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) Alexandre de Moraes. His by the assistant judge from Minister Alexandre de Moraes’ office, Rafael Henrique Janela Tamai Rocha, in a custody hearing.
Braga Netto is one of the targets of operation Contragolpe, which investigates the planning of a coup attempt and murder of the president (PT), vice president (PSB) and minister Alexandre de Moraes.
According to the corporation, Braga Netto was arrested for trying to disrupt the production of evidence. The general would have worked to obtain information about the plea bargain of former aide-de-camp Bolsonaro Mauro Cid. It would also have financed the execution of target monitoring and planning of kidnappings and, possibly, homicides of authorities.
Reasons for Braga Netto’s arrest, according to the PF:
- participated “preponderant” in the execution of criminal acts;
- he was the financier of the coup, therefore, a member of the criminal organization;
- handed over the money for carrying out the military’s illegal acts in a wine bag;
- interfered and tried to hinder the investigations;
- tried to obtain confidential data from Mauro Cid’s agreement with the PF;
- held a call with Lourena Cid (Mauro’s father) about the agreement;
- document with notes about Cid’s accusation was on the desk of Braga Netto’s advisor;
- tried to prevent Cid from handing over information about those being investigated to the PF;
- kept those involved in the coup plan informed;
- meeting that resulted in the drafting of the coup plan was at his home;
- participated “actively” the attempt to pressure the Air Force and the Army to join the coup;
- he would head the crisis office to be established after the execution of the coup.
INDICATION
Braga Netto is being indicted by the police for the crimes of “promote, establish, finance or integrate, personally or through an intermediary, a criminal organization”, under penalty of 3 to 8 years in prison.
Furthermore, he is indicted for the crimes of attempted abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law (4 to 8 years in prison) and attempted coup d’état (4 to 12 years in prison).
It is likely that the PGR (Attorney General’s Office) will decide Braga Netto, Bolsonaro and the other 38 indicted by the PF after the Judiciary recess, which begins on December 20th and runs until January.
COUNTERCOUP OPERATION
PF investigations that supported the Contragolpe operation target a criminal organization responsible for planning, according to findings, a coup d’état to prevent the elected government from taking office in 2022.
Agents target so-called “black kids”, a group formed by Special Forces soldiers, and investigate a plan to execute Lula and Alckmin.
According to the corporation, the group also planned the arrest and execution of minister Alexandre de Moraes. The crimes investigated, according to the PF, constitute, in theory, the violent abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law, a coup d’état and a criminal organization. In total, those involved can be sentenced up to 28 years of prison.
The plan was being called “Green and Yellow Dagger” and would be executed on December 15, 2022.
BRAGA NETTO DENIED PARTICIPATION
On October 23, Bolsonaro’s former minister spoke for the first time on the matter and denied that he had participated in the planning of an attempted coup d’état and assassinations.
On his social networks, the former Minister of the Civil House said that “It was never a coup, much less a plan to murder someone”.
“Now part of the press comes up with this fanciful and absurd thesis of a ‘coup within a coup’. Let there be creativity…”wrote Braga Netto.
Like former president Jair Bolsonaro, Walter Braga Netto was also declared ineligible until 2030 for abuse of political power, misuse of the media and conduct prohibited by authorities in the 2022 presidential elections.
In a note ( – PDF – 80 kB) published this Saturday (Dec 14), Braga Netto’s defense said that .
“The technical defense of General Walter Souza Braga Netto became partially aware, this morning (14/12/2024), of Pet. 13.299-STF. It is noted that the Defense will express its opinion in the case after being fully aware of the facts that gave rise to the decision made. However, with the belief in the observance of due legal process, we will have the opportunity to prove that there was no obstruction to the investigations.”says the statement.
Read more:
