The Attorney General of the Republic, , requested this Tuesday (14) the conviction of all defendants accused of attacking and promoting attacks against leaders opposed to the 2022 coup plot.
The conviction was defended by Gonet during his oral argument in the trial of nucleus 4 of the coup plot. The sessions that analyze the complaint against those behind the attempted coup d’état began this Tuesday.
The defendants in this group are (major expelled from the Army), (army reserve major), (army sergeant), (army lieutenant colonel), (army colonel), (federal police officer) and (president of the Instituto Voto Legal).
Paulo Gonet used his speaking time at the trial to refute some of the main criticisms of the defendants’ defenses to the accusation regarding the coup plot. One of the points raised by the lawyers is about the time gap between the attitude of some of those accused and the final acts of the attempted coup d’état.
“It is true that within a criminal organization, its members are responsible for all the illicit acts committed. Even conduct that is chronologically distant is achieved by the conduct of new members, because they are directed towards the same purpose”, he said.
The PGR said that the group of defendants acted in the field of “information warfare” to spread distrust about electronic voting machines before the 2022 presidential elections. After Lula’s (PT) victory, the defendants allegedly encouraged the false narrative of fraud.
“In the case of the defendants from this AP nucleus, responsible for the disinformation campaigns, the impact of their behavior on the violent outcome of January 8, 2023 was clear,” he added. Gonet used 50 minutes of his speaking time.
The defense of reserve major Ângelo Denicoli asks for the defendant’s acquittal, among other reasons, on the grounds that part of the PGR’s final allegations against the accused cites evidence that was not included in the process.
These are documents obtained from searches against former advisor Flávio Peregrino, Braga Netto’s assistant. The operation against him took place in December, after the indictment of the defendants in the coup plot, and the PF findings were not included in the process.
Gonet said this argument should not succeed. For the PGR, the evidence not included in the process is an “element of conviction” of Denicoli’s criminal conduct, and not isolated evidence for conviction.
The first day of the trial of the disinformation core of the coup plot is dedicated to the reading of Minister Alexandre de Moraes’ report and the oral arguments of the prosecution and defenses.
The PGR had two hours to speak, and each of the seven defenses has one hour to present arguments for the defendants’ acquittal.
This Tuesday’s session was different from the trial days of the central nucleus of the coup plot, which culminated in the ex-president (PL) serving 27 years and 3 months in prison.
The plenary of the First Panel became more emptied, with fewer journalists and members of ministers’ cabinets. The security structure is also smaller, compared to the days of Bolsonaro’s trial and his closest allies.
