The defenses of four of the ten defendants in the coup plot concluded, this Wednesday (12), their arguments during the trial in First Panel of the STF (Supreme Federal Court). The lawyers were unanimous in asking for their clients’ acquittal.
Today’s session was closed after the presentation of the defenses. The trial should resume next Tuesday (18), at 9am, with the vote of Minister Alexandre de Moraes and the other magistrates of the First Panel.
What did the defenses claim?
During support for the defense of Bernardo Romão Corrêa Netto in the session on Tuesday (11), the lawyer denied the PGR’s accusations and said that the body only presented hypotheses and not evidence. According to the defense, the then Army commander, Freire Gomes, was not approached by the military to be pressured into joining the coup.
While the defender of Theophilo Gaspar justified that Coter (Land Operations Command) did not manage the so-called black kids. According to the defense, the versions of Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid’s accusation are false. For the defense, the PGR’s evidence is insufficient to convict the defendant.
In support of the defense of Fabricio de Bastosthe lawyer mentioned that he was “perplexed” by the PGR’s final allegations, as the body had not produced any evidence. According to him, the black kids’ get-together was not a scam and this version was confirmed by the whistleblower in the case.
Already in defense Hélio Ferreira Limawho is in prison, the support pointed out that the so-called “op luneta” plan was an operational design of the Army and that the measure is part of the corporation’s procedures.
In turn, the defense of Márcio Nunes justified that the colonel only participated in a meeting and that he was not accused of plans to assassinate authorities. According to the defender, the authors of the letter sent to pressure the Army’s high command were not reported and that the military is being held responsible for the material.
The last defense to be presented yesterday was from Rafael Martins. According to the defense, it is not possible to ensure that the chain of custody was not broken because it is digital evidence. For defenders, the soldier is innocent.
In this Wednesday’s session, the defense of lieutenant colonel Rodrigo Bezerra de Azevedorepresented by lawyer Jeffrey Chiquini, denied that the military had participated in any planning phase of the coup. Furthermore, Rodrigo’s defender pointed out that the lieutenant colonel would be in Goiânia on December 15, 2022, when, according to the accusation, minister Alexandre de Moraes should be murdered.
The session continued with the defense of Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Ferreira de Araújo Júnior. The defendant’s first lawyer, Lissandro Sampaio, said that “at no time did he [Ronald] planned any action against the abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law, much less a coup d’état.” The accused’s second lawyer, João Carlos Dalmagro Júnior, reinforced that the defendant is not part of the Special Forces and asked for the accusations to be disqualified and the case forwarded to the negotiating criminal justice system.
The lieutenant colonel’s defense Sérgio Ricardo Cavaliere de Medeiros he spoke next. Lawyer Igor Vasconcelos Laboissiere stated that the accusation made against his client was “illogical” and “unfeasible”. He also defended the defendant’s acquittal or “the disqualification of the crime”, because this would represent “consistency”.
Finally, the defense spoke Wladimir Matos Soaresin the figure of lawyer Sergio William Lima dos Anjos. The defender emphasized that none of the defendants or witnesses knew his client and asked the magistrates to acquit the PF (Federal Police) agent due to lack of evidence that could put him at the heart of the coup plot.
Who are the core 3 defendants?
The following names comprise:
- The Net Courard Burdder: Army Colonel. According to the PGR, he pressured the Army commander to support the coup; organized meetings of Special Forces soldiers and encouraged the publication of a letter addressed to the Army Commander, with the aim of influencing the High Summit to accept the decree of democratic rupture.
- Estevam Theophilo: Reserve general. According to the PGR, it encouraged Bolsonaro to sign the coup decree and committed to coordinating military action to consummate the rupture, if the act was formalized. He also acted to pressure the then Army commander, seen as a possible obstacle to the coup.
- Fabrício Moreira de Bastos: Army Colonel. He would have participated in meetings of black kids and helped to formulate strategic guidelines for carrying out the coup. He produced the document “Ideias Força”, which proposed actions to accelerate internal adherence in the Army and disseminate disinformation and mobilization operations.
- Hélio Ferreira Lima: Army lieutenant colonel. He would have been the author of “Operação Luneta”, a document that detailed phases of the coup: arrest of STF ministers, crisis cabinet, control of institutions and disinformation campaign. He also participated in monitoring Minister Alexandre de Moraes.
- Márcio Nunes de Resende Júnior: Army Colonel. He gave up his building to the “black kids” meeting and joined the group to influence superiors. The PGR highlights that it joined the coup plan even though it knew there was no electoral fraud.
- Rafael Martins de Oliveira: Army lieutenant colonel. He would have co-created the “Copa 2022” operation, which intended to kidnap and kill Alexandre de Moraes. I managed financial resources to carry out the coup plans. Part of this money would have been passed on to Mauro Cid by the then vice-presidential candidate Walter Braga Netto.
- Rodrigo Bezerra de Azevedo: Army lieutenant colonel. According to the PGR, he also worked in the “Copa 2022” operation and directly participated in the monitoring of Alexandre de Moraes. He used anonymization techniques and clandestine devices to hide the operation.
- Ronald Ferreira de Araújo Júnior: Lieutenant colonel. He would have signed and published a letter of pressure to the then Army commander, but, according to the PGR, there is no proof of his direct participation in the coup nucleus. The prosecutor’s office reconsidered the complaint and asked for Ronald’s conviction only for inciting animosity between the Armed Forces and institutions.
- Sérgio Ricardo Cavaliere de Medeiros: Lieutenant colonel. According to the PGR, it acted in the public and digital dissemination of the pressure letter and sought to weaken military authorities who resisted the coup, despite knowing that allegations of fraud were false.
- Wladimir Matos Soares: Federal Police Agent. It would have provided strategic information on the security of the presidential inauguration to the Bolsonarist group and would have assisted in the stage of assassinating authorities to create social chaos and justify exceptional measures.
PGR calls for conviction of accused
On Tuesday, the Attorney General of the Republic, Paulo Gonet, called for the conviction of all those accused. For him, most defendants must answer for the crimes of:
- Armed criminal organization;
- Coup d’état;
- Attempt to abolish the Democratic Rule of Law;
- Qualified damage to Union assets;
- and deterioration of public assets.
Already Ronald Ferreira de Araújo was the only defendant spared from the request for conviction for the five crimes in the complaint. For the prosecutor, there is no evidence that the soldier followed the plot of the other defendants, much less that he participated in any violent actions. Therefore, Gonet suggests that Ronald be convicted only for incitement to crime.
