The Public Ethics Commission of the Presidency of the Republic initiated an investigation process against the former minister regarding statements made by the former head of the GSI (Institutional Security Office) in a meeting with then-president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) on July 5, 2022 about fraud in electronic voting machines.
The military would have indicated the infiltration of agents from Abin (Brazilian Intelligence Agency) in the electoral campaigns, having been interrupted by Bolsonaro so that the matter could be dealt with later, alone.
The collegiate informed Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) of the decision this Friday (9). The ministerial meeting was recorded and .
The president of the commission, Bruno Espiñera Lemos, asks the case’s rapporteur at the STF for authorization to deliver, by hand, the notification to Heleno so that the soldier can defend himself in the process.
The Ethics Committee’s deliberation took place on December 15, 2025. The decision accompanying the vote was unanimous.
“The manifestation of the interested party in the meeting under analysis demonstrates disregard for the values enshrined in the transcribed ethical standard”, said the rapporteur, Manoel Caetano Ferreira Filho.
The counselor voted to initiate the ethics investigation process.
“Apparently, this is a possible misuse of purpose, aimed at reinforcing the rhetoric of fraud in electoral processes, contradicting the result of popular will at the polls. At the time, Abin was part of the organizational structure of the GSI itself, headed by the interested party”, he stated.
The government summit meeting was attended by, among others, the then head of the GSI, the then Minister of Justice, Anderson Torres, and the then Minister of Defense, Paulo Sergio Nogueira.
On that occasion, after Bolsonaro raised the suspicion that TSE and TSE ministers were receiving bribes to rig the elections, the floor was given to Augusto Heleno.
Heleno, according to the transcript, states: “There will be no review of the VAR. So, whatever has to be done has to be done before the elections. If you have to shake things up, it’s before the elections. If you have to turn the tables, it’s before the elections.”
The then head of the GSI concludes: “And it will reach a point where we will no longer be able to speak. We will have to act. Act against certain institutions and against certain people. That is very clear to me.”
Heleno has been under house arrest since December 22nd. The general went to court for attempting a coup d’état.
“The adoption of humanitarian house arrest appears to be reasonable, appropriate and proportionate, especially because, in addition to the serious health problems and advanced age, there is not, and has never been to date, any risk of escape caused by the behavior of the prisoner”, says Moraes in the decision that granted the defense’s request.
The decision came after expertise confirmed the soldier’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.
Since then, Heleno must wear an electronic ankle bracelet and had to hand over his passport. Furthermore, Moraes prohibited visits, with the exception of his lawyers and his medical team and people previously authorized by the STF. The former minister is also prohibited from any communication by telephone, cell phone or social media.
Heleno’s defense stated in a statement that “the decision represents recognition of the need to observe fundamental rights, especially the right to health and human dignity.”
“From the beginning, the defense demonstrated the incompatibility of prison in a prison environment,” he continued.
Heleno was convicted of attempted coup d’état, armed criminal organization, attempted abolition of the democratic rule of law, qualified damage to public property and deterioration of listed property. He was accused of being one of those responsible for building Bolsonaro’s narrative against the .
The complaint says that the general, together with the former director of the (Brazilian Intelligence Agency), prepared Bolsonaro’s speech and agreed to illegal espionage in favor of the former president. The general’s defense denied all accusations.
