The Federal Court (STF) begins this Tuesday (9) the trial of the accused of the “two principals” of the putsch plot. The group is accused of coordinating surveillance and neutralization actions by public authorities, of preparing the “coup d’état plan» and prevent voters from voting in the Northeast region in the 2022 elections. The objective, according to the prosecution, would be to keep the former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in power, despite the electoral defeat.
This is the last core of the coup plot to be tried. In total, the panel convicted 24 defendants, including former President Jair Bolsonaro, in addition to acquitting two defendants. The trial could continue until next week, as three additional hearing days have been set aside for the case.
The rapporteur, minister Alexander of Moraesbegins the trial by reading the report. Then it will be time for pleadings. The Attorney General of the Republic, Paulo Gonetwill have up to two hours to speak, followed by the defenses of each accused, who will each have one hour, before the vote of the ministers.
The first to vote will be Moraes, followed by Cristiano Zanin, Carmen Lucy And Flavio Dinowho chairs the first panel.
They are part of core two: the former international advisor to the Presidency of the Republic, Philippe Martins; the delegate of the Federal Police Fernando de Sousa Oliveira; Army Reserve Colonel Marcelo Costa Câmara; the delegate and former director of intelligence of the federal police Marília Ferreira de Alencar; Army Reserve General Mario Fernandes; and the former director general of the federal highway police Silvinei Vasques.
Filipe Martins will go to the STF to follow the trial, authorized by Moraes. The former Bolsonaro advisor was preventively arrested in February 2024, but released six months later, and wears an electronic ankle bracelet. There is controversy surrounding his arrest. The Federal Police (PF) requested his arrest, saying they had not found Martins and had proof that he had left the country. The defendant denies and claims to have been the target of falsification of his entry into the United States.
Gonet called for the conviction of the six defendants for the crimes of armed criminal organization, attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, attempted coup d’état, qualified damage and deterioration of classified property.
In his final arguments presented in September, he said there was evidence that the group’s authorities had deliberately failed to uphold their institutional commitments “as part of their public security responsibilities, to prevent precisely the barbarities that were occurring.”
The defenses presented their final arguments in October. The defendants denied the accusations and requested acquittal or, in the event of conviction, a lesser sentence than that applied to the “crucial core”, which includes Bolsonaro, considered the leader of the criminal organization. Generally speaking, lawyers say the group’s authorities acted in accordance with their duties and deny any coup attempt.
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