General Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, former Minister of Defense, testifies to the first class of (Supreme Federal Court) as a defendant in the process of the 2022 coup plot.
The military was minister of () in 2022 and is accused of trying to convince the commanders to join the coup plan to keep the former president in power and prevent the possession of ().
Like the other defendants, Paulo Sérgio Nogueira is responsible for the crimes of coup, attempted abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law, Armed Criminal Association, damage qualified to public assets and deterioration of overturned heritage.
Profile
Military Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, 66, had rapid and unexpected rise during the Bolsonaro government. He was the fourth oldest officer in the army when the then president, and at the time minister of defense, decided to name him to command the Force in April 2021.
Then, with the departure of Braga Netto from the ministry, in March 2022, Paulo Sérgio was called to command the ministry, where he remained until the end of the government.
At the head of the portfolio, the general made statements against the (Superior Electoral Court) and the way the ministers conducted the transparency committee in the electoral period.
Accusations
Paulo Sérgio Nogueira is considered part of the so -called central core of the coup plot. According to the testimony of former Air Force Chief, Carlos Baptista Júnior, two meetings were held with the armed forces chiefs in December 2022 to discuss a coup.
On December 14 of that year, Paulo Sérgio, then Minister of Defense, would have called the military chiefs for a meeting at the folder headquarters. On the table, there would be a draft to promote a coup d’état.
“Does this document provide for the non -assumption of the position by the new president -elect?” He would have questioned the Air Force commander, according to his own statement. Paulo Sérgio silent.
Defense
The general’s lawyers deny that he tried to press the Armed Forces to adhere to a coup and say that the PGR accusation is “the purest.”
According to the defense, Paulo Sérgio’s innocence would be proven by the evidence obtained in the investigation of.
“The commanders do not claim that they were pressured by the Minister of Defense, on the contrary, they claim that he did not question the position,” said the lawyers in March 2025. “It should be remembered that General Paulo Sérgio was aligned with General Freire Gomes and was totally contrary to the idea of a coup, including that radicals advised and led the president.
