Paul SaoIn order to declare against his former ally, General Walter Braga Netto, the former Minister of Defense, that he was not well, Tenante Coronel Mauro Cid went to the Supreme Court of Brazil on March 28.
There was a breach in military protocol that was revealed by the ej rcito, which was very popular in the country at the time. At the same time, Brazil is dealing with a very serious case in which high military officials are accused of helping former President Jair Bolsonaro attempt to take over the government in order to stay in power after losing elections.
According to the analysts, the comparison of the two individuals before a civil court brought about a historical change in the impunity that high military commands had enjoyed since the country suffered two separate military coups between 1964 and 1985.
According to Lucas Figueiredo, author of several books on Brazilian dictatorship, “there is a coronel facing the general level of the gaming industry and it is stated that, for the justice system, all the accused are equal.” “La verdad prevalecer” .
Causes of the State’s Golpe
Cid, a Bolsonaro aide who reached an agreement to work with the authorities, states that Braga Netto attended a meeting in November 2022 where military officials discussed plans to demand that the current president, Luiz Incio Lula da Silva, take over.
Braga Netto is Bolsonaro’s longtime ally who also serves as the president’s secretary and was his f rmula compa ero in 2022.
The officials are being judged alongside the exmandatario, certain military orders, and some civil orders. They face five charges, including as attempting to overthrow the government, being involved in an armed criminal organization, trying to violently abolish the state’s democratic right, and causing damage and degradation to historical property.
The case’s verdict is anticipated before the end of 2025.
Cid claims that after Bolsonaro’s defeat by Lula, he was called to Braga Netto’s office and given a bolsa with cash in effect to distribute to the Bolsonaro supporters gathered in front of the general cuartel of the ej rcito. Braga Netto califies Cid de traidor and does not lose any of its actions.
The two men were cited by the Supreme Tribunal for a confrontation, a step in the Brazilian legal process when the court and both parties can question the witnesses about the inconsistencies in their testimonies.
The examination is conducted by order of Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees the investigation of the case and does not provide further details regarding the decision. The Brazilian law permits the celebration of closed-door views when it comes to matters of national security or very personal matters.
From his courtroom in Rio de Janeiro, Braga Netto appears before the court in the nation’s capital, Brasilia, where he has been detained since December due to legal obstruction.
An employee of the high court that presented the declaration told The Associated Press that both Braga Netto and Cid were largely loyal to their opposing versions of the events and avoided commenting even though they were facing sentencing.
The employee spoke under pseudonymous conditions because they were not authorized to tell the prensa.
In a heated exchange, the defense’s minister replied that Cid was a mentiroso, according to Braga Netto’s attorney, Jos Luis Oliveira.
According to legal and operational experts, Moraes’ decision to allow both men to be questioned at the same time indicates the magistrate’s lack of confidence in their testimonies.
The ej rcito has enjoyed impunity for a long time.
The fact that the two men were comparing themselves before a civil court caused a rift on the impunity of those who had disregarded the high military commands.
In contrast to what happens in neighboring countries like Argentina and Chile, no one in Brazil has been arrested on charges related to military dictatorship. And although facing a sea full of legal grave freight, Bolsonaro remains the country’s ally against Lula.
The last Brazilian general to be arrested was Argemiro de Assis Brazil, who was detained in 1964 for opposing the state coup in which he had taken power.
Members of the military state have stated since the beginning of the process that the Supreme Tribunal’s judgment is a death sentence for the Armed Forces.
“These kinds of questions don’t help the Armed Forces,” said General Roberto Peternelli, an ex-congressman affiliated with the Liberal Party of Bolsonaro. They’re hurting the country, in my opinion.
In order to avoid civil tribunals, the accused sought a judgment in the Superior Tribunal Militar, where, according to legal experts, it was more likely that they would find understanding.
The military tribunal, which only checks a few documents of cases, rejects the cases.
According to Alexandre Knopfholz, a professor of rights at UniCuritiba, the members of the military tribunal understood that even though these crimes were committed by military personnel, they were not military crimes.
Over the past two years, millions of Brazilians have watched the case on television, from the raids where federal police arrested suspects and seized documents to the courtroom testimony.
However, several experts doubt that Cid and Braga Netto end up completing all of their potential condenas among rejas, even if they are found to be at fault.
We are in the middle of the investigation. It is important to remember that all of the military coups in Brazilian history were overthrown, according to Fabio Victor, author of a book about the conflicts between the armed forces and politics during the transition to democracy in 1985.
However “el hecho de que los generales se hayan convertido en acusados por un intento de golpe de Estado muestra cierta evoluci n” , acknowledged.
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From Rio de Janeiro, Hughes provides information.
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This story was translated from English by an AP editor using a tool for artificial intelligence generation.
