President Lula () said in a get-together with ministers this Friday (20) that he was happy with her representing a country, according to reports.
Furthermore, the detention of a high-ranking military officer would demonstrate that not only the poor are punished in the country, said the head of the Executive.
Also according to participants, the president recalled that a plan had been devised to assassinate the president, his vice president and “Xandão”, in reference to , minister of the (Supreme Federal Court).
Lula asked that all ministers be present in Brasília on January 8, the date of the depredation of the headquarters of the Three Powers. He said that the act of vandalism carried out by supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) cannot be forgotten.
The president also informed that he intends to invite authorities from other countries to movements in defense of democracy not only in Brazil, but also in the world.
Lula had defended it days before General Braga Netto had . During a press conference at Hospital Sírio-Libanês, in São Paulo, last Sunday (15), he stated, however, that there must be punishment if those involved are found guilty.
“I will demonstrate to you that I have more patience and am democratic. I think he has every right to the presumption of innocence. What I didn’t have, I want them to have: every right and every respect for the law is enforced. But, if these guys did what they tried to do, they will have to be severely punished,” he declared.
The event, which occurred the day before, on Saturday (14), created an unprecedented event in the country’s history. Never before had a military officer of the highest rank been detained by decision of the , in a process conducted by civilians.
In his brief speech at the ministerial meeting, the president spoke about the seriousness of the accusations against the soldier and argued that he must pay for them. In an interview with Fantástico last Sunday (15), Lula spoke of the right to the presumption of innocence, but said that, if confirmed, the perpetrators of the alleged attack should be “severely punished.”
Braga Netto’s arrest took place on the Saturday before Lula’s interview, as ordered by Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the STF (Supreme Federal Court).
The head of the PGR (Attorney General’s Office), Paulo Gonet, wrote in the file that the representation of the Federal Police brings “sufficient evidence of the authorship and materiality of the serious crimes committed by the defendants”. He maintains that only Braga Netto’s preventive detention would be sufficient to mitigate risks to public order and the application of criminal law.
Suspicions related to the attempt to interfere in the investigations have been accumulating since September 2023, when Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid had his award-winning collaboration agreement approved by the STF.
This Friday, the president met ministers and government leaders in Congress at Palácio da Alvorada in a mix of a meeting and an end-of-year get-together, amid pressure from deputies for more space in the government. The meeting lasted about two hours.
It is expected that, at the beginning of next year, a ministerial reform will take place. Despite not having spoken about it at the meeting, Lula reinforced the possibility of changing communication by inviting marketer Sidônio Palmeira to the meeting – he is tipped to replace Paulo Pimenta at the secretariat. The publicist is expected to meet with the president over the weekend.
Sidônio’s presence at the lunch was received as a kind of advance warning for Pimenta, who will have to be reassigned to another role in the government. As he spoke about the international agenda, including the holding of the , Lula turned to the head of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, Márcio Macedo, to state that the social version of the conference, under the responsibility of the minister, had left something to be desired.
This public criticism was understood as a message that Macêdo could be replaced. His folder is pointed out as a possible destination for Pimenta.