The Superior Military Court (STM) scheduled the judgment for June 24 of an appeal requested by former president Jair Bolsonaro to prevent a Court minister from evaluating whether he is unworthy of holding his military rank.
Bolsonaro’s defense filed a lawsuit to remove Air Minister Lieutenant General Joseli Parente Camelo from participating in the trial that could determine the expulsion of the former president from the Armed Forces. The request was initially rejected by the president of the STM, Maria Elizabeth Rocha, but the lawyers appealed to the Court’s plenary, which will now analyze the appeal.
The defense claims that Joseli would not have impartiality to analyze the case due to interviews he gave in 2023. At the time, he defended the “pacification of the country” and promised punishment to military personnel involved in the acts of January 8th.
Former president Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison for his involvement in a coup plot to keep him in power after the 2022 elections. The sentence was given by the 1st Panel of the Federal Supreme Court (STF).
As a soldier sentenced to more than two years, Bolsonaro and the other soldiers convicted in the process will be tried by the Military Court for “unworthiness to serve as an officer”. In February, the Military Public Ministry (MPM) pointed out 8 transgressions by the former president to request his expulsion from the Army, including failure to comply with civil authorities and the duty of probity.
Appointed to the STM by Dilma Rousseff in 2025, Joseli was Secretary of Coordination and Monitoring of Military Affairs of the Planalto and piloted presidential planes during the first two terms of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
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The STM is made up of 15 ministers, 10 of which are military, like Joseli, and another five are civilians, including Maria Elizabeth.
