Brazil’s Attorney General’s Office (PGR) requested on Monday (14) from the Federal Supreme Court (STF) the conviction of former President Jair Bolsonaro and seven other defendants from nucleus 1 of the coup plot.
The filing was sent to Minister Alexandre de Moraes around 11:45 p.m. and is part of the final allegations, the last phase before the trial of the accused, which is expected to take place in September this year.
In the 517-page document, Attorney General Paulo Gonet argues that Bolsonaro and the other defendants should be convicted of the crimes of armed criminal organization, attempted violent abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law, coup d’état, qualified damage by violence and serious threat, and deterioration of listed heritage.
The maximum penalties for the crimes exceed 30 years in prison.
In addition to Bolsonaro, the PGR requested the conviction of the following defendants:
• Walter Braga Netto, Army General, former minister and Bolsonaro’s running mate on the 2022 election ticket;
• General Augusto Heleno, former minister of the Institutional Security Office;
• Alexandre Ramagem, former director of the Brazilian Intelligence Agency – Abin;
• Anderson Torres, former Minister of Justice and former Secretary of Public Security for the Federal District;
• Almir Garnier, former Navy commander;
• Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, Army General and former Defense Minister;
• Mauro Cid, cooperating defendant and former aide-de-camp to Bolsonaro.
In case of conviction, Cid will have his sentence suspended due to the leniency agreement signed with the Federal Police (PF) during the investigations.
Bolsonaro
In the filing, the Attorney General described former President Jair Bolsonaro’s role in the coup plot.
According to him, Bolsonaro figures as the leader of the criminal organization and was the “main articulator and greatest beneficiary” of the actions to attempt to impose a coup d’état in the country in 2022.
In Gonet’s words, the former president instrumentalized the state apparatus and operated in a “persistent scheme” of attacks on public institutions and the succession process after the presidential election results.
“With the support of high-ranking government members and strategic sectors of the Armed Forces, he systematically mobilized agents, resources, and state competencies, disregarding the public interest, to propagate false narratives, provoke social instability, and defend authoritarian measures,” the prosecutor said.
Next Steps
With the submission of the PGR’s filing, the 15-day period begins for Mauro Cid’s defense, the cooperating defendant in the investigation, to submit its final allegations to the STF.
Next, it will be the turn of the other defendants’ defenses to submit their allegations within the same period.
After receiving all the filings, the First Panel of the Court will schedule the trial date.
Behind the scenes at the STF, the expectation is that the trial will take place in September this year.
Source: Agência Brasil