The minister, of the (Supreme Federal Court), ordered the arrest of the five former members of the leadership of the Federal District on January 8, 2023.
The conviction was set by the First Panel of the court on December 4th and the final judgment of the action — the conclusion of the process — was decreed this Tuesday (10). They must serve their sentence in Papudinha, in Brasília, where the former president (PL) is also located.
The trial began on the 28th, in a virtual court session (the platform on which ministers cast their votes), and ended last Friday (5). Former members of the PM leadership denied the accusations of omission.
Colonels Fábio Augusto Vieira, then general commander of the PMDF, were sentenced to 16 years in prison; Klépter Rosa Gonçalves, then deputy general commander of the PMDF; Jorge Eduardo Naime Barreto, former head of the Operations Department; Paulo José Ferreira de Souza Bezerra; and Marcelo Casimiro Vasconcelos.
All were denounced for the crimes of attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d’état, qualified damage through violence and serious threat to the Union’s property, with considerable damage to the victim and deterioration of listed property.
In a statement, the defense of Colonel Marcelo Casimiro Vasconcelos stated that he voluntarily presented himself to the authorities to begin serving his sentence. The lawyers also once again defended the soldier’s innocence.
“The defense’s concern is also noted regarding the establishment of the original jurisdiction of the Federal Supreme Court to judge the case, a situation that, in the defensive understanding, limited the full scope of the evidentiary and appeals debate, resulting in a decision of a practically unappealable nature in the current procedural system”, he said.
Mário de Almeida Costa Neto, who signed the note, stated that he understood that the Supreme Court did not have the competence to judge the case and, furthermore, does not consider the possibilities of appeal in the criminal action to be exhausted.
“Colonel Marcelo Casimiro has always acted as a public administrator committed to legality and the protection of Brasilia society, having exercised, on January 8, 2023, the duties that were legally conferred on him, within the institutional limits of his role”, he said.
According to the (Attorney General’s Office), despite having the means to prevent attacks and vandalism in Praça dos Três Poderes, the PM-DF leadership failed to act.
In his vote, Moraes stated that the military adhered to criminal purposes aimed at an attempt at institutional rupture, which would lead to the abolition of the democratic rule of law and the deposition of the legitimately elected government.
“It is also worth highlighting that the criminal horde of the coup had been operating since the announcement of the results of the 2022 general elections, in an organized attempt that escalated into violence until culminating in the regrettable episode at the beginning of January this year,” he said.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the police subjectively joined the criminal actions of the coup plotters who vandalized the headquarters of the three Powers, instead of acting to prevent the destruction of public buildings.
The complaint also stated that the PM-DF had informants or police officers infiltrated in the popular insurgency movements, including in the camps in front of the Army headquarters, who provided the officers with frequent information and images, highlighting the need for preventive action to prevent criminal acts.
