The decision of the minister, of the (Supreme Federal Court), which authorized the general’s arrest, reports that the military provided resources for the, his deputy, Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), and Moraes himself.
The decision also states that “agribusiness people” had provided resources for the coup plot, according to testimony from Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, former aide-de-camp of (PL).
Braga Netto this Saturday (14) by the PF (Federal Police) on suspicion of interfering in investigations into the 2022 coup plot. A four-star Army general, he was also a candidate for vice-president on Bolsonaro’s ticket in that year’s election.
In a statement, the general’s defense stated that he will speak out in the case after being “fully aware of the facts that gave rise to the decision.” In a previous statement, he stated that “it was never a coup, much less a plan to murder someone.”
After the plan came to light in November, Cid was called to testify directly to Moraes after the PF pointed out evidence that he was not complying with the plea bargain agreement. Collaboration was maintained.
According to Moraes’ decision this Saturday, this testimony from Cid, dated November 21, and documents obtained in the investigation indicate that “he was the one who obtained and delivered the necessary resources for the organization and execution of the ‘Punhal Verde e Amarelo’ operation – event’ World Cup 2022′”.
The Plan Punhal Verde Amarelo envisaged killing the authorities. The “2022 World Cup event” was the operation to kidnap Moraes on December 15, 2022, according to the PF.
In the final case report, released in November, the PF had listed a series of activities by this group that began with a meeting on November 12, 2022 at Braga Netto’s house.
In a previous version of his report, Cid had told the PF that the meeting on the 12th occurred because the Special Forces soldiers wanted to take photos and greet Braga Netto.
There, according to Bolsonaro’s former aide-de-camp, they discussed the “national situation of the country, the importance of the demonstrations, the request for military intervention […]if demonstrations could be there [em frente aos quartéis]”.
On the other hand, the hearing term for Cid’s testimony on November 21st says that the lieutenant colonel took the military to Braga Netto’s apartment to talk about the “indignation with the country’s situation and the need for concrete actions”.
The Supreme Court document also says that Lieutenant Colonel Rafael de Oliveira met with Braga Netto days after the meeting. At the time, the general allegedly handed Oliveira cash, kept in a wine bag, for “carrying out the operation”.
The values, according to Cid’s statement, would have been obtained from “agribusiness people”.
The excerpt from Cid’s testimony at the STF does not make it clear whether the money had been transferred with the aim of financing the plan to assassinate authorities. In previous sections of the statement, Mauro Cid said that Lieutenant Colonel Rafael de Oliveira asked for R$100,000 to take Bolsonaro supporters from other regions of the country to the coup camp set up in front of the Army Headquarters, in Brasília.
The conclusions of the Federal Police and Alexandre de Moraes, however, are that the amounts were used to make the plan to execute authorities viable.
Moraes highlights in the decision that there are “strong indications and substantial evidence” that Braga Netto “contributed, to a more effective and highly important degree than was previously known”, to the planning and financing of a coup d’état whose consummation included the plan detention and possible murder of Moraes himself, in addition to Lula and Alckmin.
The Attorney General of the Republic, Paulo Gonet, agreed to the operation that arrested Braga Netto. He said that the representation of the Federal Police brings “sufficient evidence of authorship and materiality of the serious crimes committed by the defendants”.
For Gonet, Braga Netto’s arrest would be necessary to mitigate “risks to public order and the application of criminal law”.
Braga Netto arrested this Saturday morning (14), at his home in Rio de Janeiro. Addresses linked to the general were also the target of search and seizure. The general has already been indicted for the coup plot.
The PF also carried out searches related to retired colonel Flávio Peregrino, Braga Netto’s main assistant since the Bolsonaro government. He was subject to a different prison sentence.
