Ex-Bolsonaro Cabinet minister arrested in Brazil over alleged coup plot
SAO PAULO — Brazil’s Federal Police on Saturday arrested Gen. Walter Braga Netto, a member of former President Jair Bolsonaro’s Cabinet and his 2022 running mate, in connection with investigations into an alleged coup plot, the Supreme Court said in a statement.
Braga Netto was formally accused in November, along with Bolsonaro and 35 others, of plotting a coup to keep Bolsonaro in office following his failed 2022 reelection bid.
Prosecutors have yet to file formal charges against Braga Netto. The arrest made on Saturday stemmed from allegations of obstructing the collection of evidence, the Federal Police said in a statement.
The arrest request was authorized by the Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, with a favorable assessment from the Prosecutor-General’s office.
Fifty-three audio recordings from late 2022 reveal high-ranking members of Brazil’s army discussing efforts to carry out a coup.
A court statement said police formally requested the general to be detained because its agents identified “robust evidence” that he sought to discover what a former Bolsonaro aide, who signed a plea bargain, was telling authorities. Authorities also executed search and seizure warrants against Braga Netto and his aide, Col. Flávio Botelho Peregrino.
Braga Netto served as Bolsonaro’s chief of staff from 2020-21 and as defense minister from 2021-22.
His attorney did not respond to a request for comment. Previously, his legal team said they would wait to review police documents before making any statements.
In November, Brazil’s Federal Police unsealed the final report of its investigation into the plan to keep Bolsonaro in office by overturning the election of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2022. Federal Police portray Braga Netto as one of the plot’s leaders, also involved in pressuring military leaders to sign onto the coup.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others are formally accused of attempting a coup to keep him in office after his 2022 election loss.
The 884-page document, substantiated by evidence and testimony, described a multistep scheme: sow distrust of the electoral system among the populace; draft a decree to give the plot a legal veneer; pressure top military brass to go along with the plan; and incite a riot in the capital.
According to the investigation, the plan included a plot to assassinate Lula, Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Investigators allege Braga Netto greenlighted the assassination plan at a meeting with the plotters inside his home.
The assassination plan sought to leave Bolsonaro’s ticket as the only remaining valid one in the 2022 runoff, police said. De Moraes led a five-year probe into fake news and threats against Supreme Court justices, which has led some far-right allies and supporters to being barred from social media and even imprisoned.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol had refused to resign. But a dozen lawmakers from his own party turned against him in an impeachment vote over his declaration of martial law.
The police report contains no indication that any attempt to assassinate Lula or Alckmin was put into motion. However, investigators found messages and documents indicating that the plotters were monitoring and following De Moraes at the time.
The Supreme Court’s statement said the police had new evidence suggesting that Braga Netto was involved in securing and delivering financial resources for the coup plot.
Braga Netto, the former president and his main allies have denied any wrongdoing or involvement and accuse the authorities of political persecution.
Pessoa writes for the Associated Press.
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