The former president () denied in a statement to the (Federal Supreme Court) on Tuesday (10) that he discussed plans to give a coup after the victory of (PT) in the 2022 presidential election, but admitted to arguing with heads of the alternatives-according to the Constitution.
“As General Freire Gomes said [comandante do Exército na época]Perhaps it was at this meeting, we studied other possibilities within the Constitution, that is, never leaving the four lines. As the commander himself [Freire Gomes] He said, had to be very careful about the legal issue because we couldn’t do anything outside of it, “Bolsonaro said, without detailing the intention of the measures studied with the military.
The former president said that “in a few meetings we have abandoned any possibility of a constitutional action.” “We abandon and face the sunset of our government.” But he admitted to seeing “quickly” in a “screen”, a document presented during a meeting with military bosses and then said that the idea was raised about a “state of siege”, but nothing went forward.
This was the first time Bolsonaro was facing the minister to be interrogated as a defendant. It was two hours and seven minutes of testimony, in which the former president answered questions made by Moraes, Minister Luiz Fux, Attorney General Paulo Gonet and lawyers.
In interviews in recent months, Bolsonaro had already talked about discussing measures such as a state of siege and defense after the 2022 elections, but this version was not yet on his defense in the STF scammer process.
Now, to the Supreme, Bolsonaro admitted to having access to the document that suggested the decree of exception measures after the presidential elections.
On Monday (9), in a statement to the Supreme Court, the former orders of orders Mauro Cid repeated details of the presentation of one and reported changes that would have been made by Bolsonaro to adapt the document to the intentions of the group that occupied the Planalto Palace.
“He wiped the decree,” Cid told the minister, “withdrawing the authorities from the arrests only the Lord [ministro Alexandre de Moraes] would be stuck. “
In his testimony, Bolsonaro countered this version: “It does not proceed to the wipe,” he said. He said that the file found on Mauro Cid’s cell phone “had no header and no closure”, only the “regarding” (probable reference to the preamble of a decree).
Then, in the face of the question about if he had shown a document at the meeting on December 7, 2022 to General Freire Gomes, Bolsonaro did not cite any physical document, but said it was shown on a screen. “It was passed on the screen the considerations very quickly there.”
Later, asked if he would have discussed at the meetings of an intervention in the TSE and the establishment of an electoral commission, Bolsonaro said that “I would like to have access to the document to discuss it.”
In answering his lawyer’s question about “changed he wrote or put some drafts on his computer,” Bolsonaro said no.
The former president told the Supreme Court that after the minister, still in the TSE (Superior Electoral Court), decree a fine of $ 22 million to the PL for representation against the result of the presidential elections.
“These meetings that occurred were largely due to the decision of the TSE. When we petitioned about possible vulnerability, the next day it was not welcomed and surprised us a fine of $ 22 million. If it turned out to the fine or petition, we could then have any discussion about the results of the elections,” said the former president.
Bolsonaro said he invited the armed forces chiefs to discuss the “alternatives” because he has their same military formation. “I had no mood to invite anyone to any subject. It was left to them, even as an outburst – not among us, I stop with him,” he said.
“I heard Paulo Sérgio [ex-ministro da Defesa]I heard Freire Gomes, I heard the [Almir] Garnier [ex-comandante da Marinha] And I couldn’t hear the junior Baptista much [ex-comandante da Aeronáutica] Because he spoke little. He didn’t even read the draft he accuses, nor did he even read that subject. The military is the one who is on his side in good and bad times. And I confess that a lot that they said I absorbed and came to the conclusion quickly that I had nothing to do anymore. “
In his statement on Tuesday, former Defense Minister Paulo Sérgio Nogueira confirmed that he was at the meeting in which Bolsonaro first presented the scam to military chiefs. He said he was concerned about the possibility of the former president to decree an exception measure.
Bolsonaro was the sixth defendant of the coup plot to testify to the Supreme Court in two days of hearings to listen to the accused. Tuesday’s session began shortly after 8 am and only ended at 7:02 pm, with an interval of one and a half for lunch.
Bolsonaro’s testimony was the longest. It started at 2:33 pm and ended around 4:40 pm. He arrived at the Supreme Court with a copy of the Constitution and took him to the table in which he would defend himself from the accusations, lifting him while speaking of not attacking democracy.
The climate of relaxation started on Monday (9) also permeated the second day of testimonials. Bolsonaro even invited Moraes to compose his presidential plate in 2026-the former president is ineligible for conviction on the TSE.
“I would like to invite you to be my deputy in 26,” joked Bolsonaro. “I decline,” replied Moraes.
The former president said the. “Your Excellency and the Minister [Luiz] Fux did not see me act against the Constitution. I acted within the four lines all the time. Sometimes I revolted, I spoke bad, but I did what should be done, “he said.
Bolsonaro denied that he had attacked the electronic ballot boxes to give rise to the coup after defeat in the elections. The president said he criticizes the electoral system since 2012 as political rhetoric.
He also read ancient statements by STF Minister Flávio Dino and PDT president Carlos Lupi, without contextualization, to say that leftist politicians also criticized the system.
At the end of the session, Moraes overturned a restriction that had persisted since February 2024 that prevented defendants from maintaining contact. The minister also summoned all the lawyers to open the five -day deadline for the defenses to require new steps – an last phase before the final allegations of the parties.
Seized drafts
- State of siege: Already in June of the same year, it came to public that the federal had also found a file on Cid’s cell phone that dealt with. Months later, in February 2024, a document of the same content was seized at the headquarters of the PL – according to Bolsonaro his defense had sent him the file found with Cid for him to be aware of the investigation
