In addition to the former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), the Army generals Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, Augusto Heleno and Walter Souza Braga Netto (Superior Military Court) in the process that could result in the loss of their patents.
The , filed at the beginning of the month by the attorney general of Military Justice, Clauro Bortollihead of the MPM (Military Public Ministry).
In 2025, the First Panel of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) condemned Bolsonaro and the members of the so-called “nucleus 1” for attempted coup d’état. With the decision, the Court ordered an assessment of the possible loss of ranks of the soldiers involved.
The opening of the deadline for presenting defenses marks the formal beginning of the processing of actions in the STM. With this, the preliminary phases are closed and the period for written statements from those represented begins.
If the defenses are not presented within the deadline, the rapporteur may request the appointment of a public defender, who will have the same period to file the statement.
After receiving the defenses, those presented. Once this stage is complete, the votes will be drawn up, which will still be assessed by the process reviewer.
With the vote of the rapporteur and the return of the files by the reviewer, the case may be released for inclusion in the judgment agenda. It will be up to the presidency of the STM to define the date for analysis by the Court’s plenary.
How the process works
The is analyzed through a representation due to unworthiness or incompatibility for the official position. The procedure can only be initiated after the criminal conviction has become final, when there is no longer any possibility of appeal.
Provided for in Military Justice legislation, the action assesses whether the officer maintains the moral and ethical conditions necessary to remain linked to the Armed Forces.
The Superior Military Court is made up of 15 ministers — ten military personnel, representatives of the Army, Navy and Air Force, and five civilians. The decision on maintaining or losing the patent is taken by the plenary, with the participation of all magistrates.
