Ministers of the (Superior Military Court) see a possibility that generals Augusto Heleno and , convicted in the main nucleus of the coup plot, will be acquitted in the official service and, therefore, be able to keep their ranks.
The assessment is that the long period of services provided to them can count in their favor in the plenary trial, considering the lack of previous records of misconduct and participation in the coup attempt considered less than that of the former president and the general.
The representations of the MPM (Military Public Prosecutor’s Office) were presented this Tuesday (3) to the military court. Unlike what happened in the (Supreme Federal Court), in which everyone was judged together under the leadership of Minister Alexandre de Moraes, in the STM the processes will be individual, with a different rapporteur for each one.
The expectation is that Bolsonaro, an Army captain, will be sentenced to loss of rank. In addition to being appointed as the leader of the criminal organization, with the highest sentence among those convicted (), the former president’s history means that he is considered a “bad soldier” by members of the STM.
The idea that the former president will be sentenced to lose his captain’s rank intensified with the selection of Minister Carlos Aquino as rapporteur and the minister as reviewer. Both are part of a wing of the military court seen as more progressive — Sterman was appointed last year by President Lula and was previously a lawyer for minister Gleisi Hoffmann (PT).
The case of Heleno, former chief minister of Bolsonaro’s Institutional Security Office, is considered one of the most delicate. Ministers assess that the word “indignity” has a very strong weight for a general with a high degree of internal admiration. According to a minister, declaring him unworthy would be declaring the unworthiness of the Army itself.
Behind the scenes at the STM, it is repeated that Heleno served for 45 of his 78 years, just as Nogueira —Bolsonaro’s former Defense Minister— was in the Army for 48 of his 70 years of age. Among ministers in this group, the prevailing view is that a single mistake cannot erase the trajectory of dedication to the Armed Forces.
Braga Netto, despite having a 45-year career in the Armed Forces, would not have the same perspective, as his role in the coup plot was more relevant, being a kind of “sub-leader” of the coup. The fact that he was arrested is also important, which is why he was arrested preventively in 2024.
The admiral’s case is considered an unknown. The acquittal means a career of half a century in the Navy; for the conviction, the fact that he was the only commander of the three Forces to support the coup plan. Therefore, STM ministers assess that the outcome is uncertain.
The president of the STM, Maria Elizabeth Rocha, has told assistants that the representations will be treated with priority and that they will be taken to the plenary as the rapporteurs release the processes for analysis. In December, to journalists, the minister said that this is .
