José Luis Oliveira Lima revealed that he intends to request a confrontation and that the participation of minister Alexandre de Moraes in the process will be questioned
a retired general’s lawyer, made scathing statements about the lieutenant colonel, calling him a “contumacious liar”. Lima revealed that he intends to request a confrontation between his client and Cid, who is collaborating with the courts through a plea bargain agreement. This statement is part of an investigation investigating an alleged attempted coup d’état, in which Braga Netto is one of those investigated. In an interview with GloboNews’ Estúdio I program, the criminalist also stated that, after the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) presented the complaint and those under investigation effectively became defendants, the participation of Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) , in the process will be questioned.
According to Lima, the reason is the fact that the minister was involved as a victim, since the coup plan envisaged the murder of Moares. “If he (Alexandre de Moares) participates in the trial, at the appropriate time, I will have to claim the nullity of the trial based on a technical defense,” said Lima, adding that his concern is that the trial is not political, but, rather, technical “I’m really not comfortable, after the presentation of the complaint, that Minister Alexandre de Moraes, who would have been a victim of this alleged scam, acts in the trial”, he stated.
José Luis Oliveira Lima, known as Juca, also clarified that he will request the fact-finding procedure as soon as he has access to the records. “I’m going to ask for a confrontation between Braga Netto and the Cid. I want them both there, one in front of the other”, he said. He also suggested that the lieutenant colonel’s plea bargain, approved by minister Alexandre de Moraes, had been made under police coercion, after Cid remained in prison for more than 100 days.
During the interview, he also stated that Minister Alexandre de Moraes’ decision to arrest Braga Netto on charges of obstruction of justice is “devoid of concrete evidence”. He argued that the minister had been misled by a biased report produced by the Federal Police.
“I obviously need to record my respect for the Supreme Court, the Federal Police and Minister Alexandre de Moraes… (But Moraes) is human, and humans also make mistakes”, declared the lawyer, who has more than three decades of experience and experience in the country’s highest courts. Lima has already worked on high-profile cases. He defended names such as former minister José Dirceu, former Caixa president Pedro Guimarães and comedian Marcius Melhem.
However, when questioned by journalists, the lawyer avoided answering directly. During the interview, Lima indicated that Braga Netto’s defense will try to discredit Cid’s plea bargain, treating the lieutenant colonel as a liar. The lawyer was reminded that the accusations against the general are not only based on Cid’s statements, but also on documents and concrete evidence.
An example cited was a conversation between Braga Netto and an agitator, in the context of pressuring commanders of the Armed Forces to join the coup to keep Jair Bolsonaro in power. When confronted with this evidence, the lawyer avoided it, stating that he did not have access to the records and that, if he entered this debate, he would be acting as a commentator, not as a lawyer.
He also claimed to have spoken to Braga Netto only five times and to have been in charge of the general’s defense for just ten days. In an interview with the GloboNews channel, Lima repeated the statement made to Estadão, saying that he does not intend to use a plea bargain as a defense strategy. According to the lawyer, as his client did not commit a crime, there is nothing to be reported on.
*Report produced with the help of AI and Estadão Conteúdo
Published by Fernando Dias
