Former Army Commander Júlio César de Arruda confirmed, in a statement to the Supreme Federal Court (STF) on Thursday, 22, that he met with the Brigade General Mário Fernandes and denied that they have dealt with the possibility of a coup to prevent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the presidency.
Arruda, a reserve general, was heard as a witness to Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cesar Barbosa Cid, in the process where former President Jair Bolsonaro is accused of a coup attempt. STF Minister Alexandre de Moraes, rapporteur of the case, conducts the hearing.
As showed the Estadãoby the end of 2022, Arruda was sought two days before becoming a commander of the Army by Mario Fernandes, former commander of Special Operations of the Army and then number 2 of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, to press him from preventing Lula’s inauguration.
Arruda would have immediately expelled Mario and two colonels from her cabinet and gave an order: they would no longer come back there while he was the commander. In the testimony, Arruda denied having done the expulsion.
The question was asked by the Attorney General, Paulo Gonet. “He was there to talk to me on the 28th?, Said Arruda.” Was it talked about any impediment to Lula’s inauguration? “Gonet asked.” No, sir, “added the military.
According to the investigation of the coup attempt, Mário Fernandes is the author of the plan “Green and Yellow Dagger”, which contained a detail to execute, in December 2022, Moraes, Lula and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin (PSB).
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Arruda was commander of President Lula’s army for just 21 days. Defense Minister José Múcio Monteiro said the decision is due to a break of confidence with the government.
Lula was annoyed by the resistance in charge of the army to allow arrest at the camp of Bolsonarists in front of the headquarters in Brasilia, on the night of the invasion and depredation of the headquarters of the three powers.
During the statement, Arruda also denied that she would have prevented military police from the camp on January 8. According to him, the function was to “calm” and do an action in a coordinated way.
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Alexandre de Moraes recalled the testimony of the former chief of the Federal District Military Police, Colonel Fábio Augusto Vieira, who stated the existence of a mobilization of the army that day to prevent the action of the PM. According to Vieira, Arruda would have said, with his finger laugh, “The Lord knows that my troop is a little bigger than yours, right?”
Arruda stated that there was a climate of nervousness and said she did not remember the speech to the former chief of the DF PM.
Also weighed for the army command of the command to exonerate Cid, former Bolsonaro orders, who had been appointed to head the 1st Army Command Action Battalion in Goiania. The pressure was great for the appointment to be canceled by Arruda, which did not happen.
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In the testimony, Arruda said that Cid was already assigned to the function almost a year in advance.
Thursday’s audience, which heard the witnesses called by Mauro Cid’s defense, was brief. The session lasted just over an hour and overall heard Cid companions during military formation and employees of the help of the Presidency of the Republic.
They reported unaware of the existence of a coup plan, praised the “professional” behavior of the former joint-joint and said that while they lived with him, they did not see him to comment much about politics. Gonet and other lawyers present little asked.
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In addition to Arruda, generals Edson Diehl Ripoli and João Batista Bezerra, Captain Adriano Alves Teperino and Sergeant Luís Marcos dos Reis, who worked with Cid in the aid of orders, and Captain Raphael Maciel Monteiro.
Monteiro was one of those who commented on Cid’s leaked audio, in which he reported being pressured by the Federal Police during a statement. According to Monteiro, Mauro Cid was “shaken” after his own defense implies other military personnel in the case. “For the most intimate circle, he (ICD) needed to say things I think very unrealistic, the result of an irrational defense of his honor,” he said.
