The Federal Supreme Court (STF) resumed the interrogations on the alleged coup plot of 2022. Former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), sixth defendant to testify in the criminal action that investigates a supposed conspiracy to prevent Lula’s possession after the 2022 elections.
The Attorney General’s Office (PGR) points to Bolsonaro as a central figure of the plot, which would have involved high-ranking military personnel and federal government authorities.
“Biggest humiliation in Brazil”
The most striking statement of the interrogation was Bolsonaro’s justification for his absence at the inauguration ceremony on January 1, 2023. “It would not submit to Brazil’s greatest humiliation,” said the former president, characterizing the passage of the presidential range to Lula as a humiliating act.
The phrase reveals Bolsonaro’s emotional state after the electoral defeat and his difficulty in accepting the ballot box. The absence at the inauguration ceremony broke a republican tradition of over a century and was interpreted as a gesture of disrespect for democratic institutions.
The statement also highlights how Bolsonaro saw his relationship with Lula and the process of transition from power, transforming a democratic ritual into a personal question.
“We had to intub the elections”
Regarding the ministerial meetings in which the alleged scam with military commanders was discussed, Bolsonaro tried to minimize any coup intent. “There was no ghana to look for any way out. We had to cling to the elections,” said the former president.
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The expression “clogging the elections” suggests that Bolsonaro and his government were forced to accept the electoral result against his will, reinforcing the narrative that there was no effective attempted coup.
Denial on Navy Support
One of the most controversial points of the interrogation was Bolsonaro’s denial about the alleged support of the Navy for a possible coup action. The former president categorically refuted the allegations of Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, the case whistleblower, and commander Freire Gomes about offering naval troops.
“Bolsonaro also denied that the Navy made its troops available to it,” contrary to previous statements that pointed to Admiral Almir Garnier Santos as willing to support actions against the electoral result.
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Denial puts Bolsonaro in direct contradiction with key process witnesses, especially Mauro Cid, whose award-winning denunciation supports much of the PGR complaint. The confrontation between versions will be crucial for the evaluation of the credibility of those involved.
