Brazil’s Supreme Court frees Bolsonaro’s former aide-de-camp after agreement to cooperate with justice

This Saturday, Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court (STF) granted parole to Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, former aide-de-camp to Jair Bolsonaro, who has been in prison since May 3 on charges of common crimes and crimes against democracy, in which the former president is allegedly involved. The release order was signed by Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who is leading several cases against Jair Bolsonaro in the STF and also presides over the TSE Supreme Electoral Court, which sentenced the former president to disqualification in June.

Former dictator Bolsonaro’s win came after the military officer reached a plea deal, similar to how Brazil negotiates an agreement to cooperate with the justice system in the context of investigating crimes of which he is accused. In a plea agreement, the accused, in addition to admitting his participation in the crimes, must also indicate the participation of others who may have been accomplices or organizers of these criminal acts, and provide specific evidence about these crimes to the police and the justice system. acts., or indicate where they can be obtained.

Mauro Cid is accused of falsifying Covid-19 vaccine ballots for himself and Jair Bolsonaro so he could travel to the US and other countries where the vaccine was needed during the pandemic, as well as participating in the preparation of an exclusive vaccine. a presidential decree according to which the former head of state allegedly intended to remain in power as a dictator after losing last year’s presidential election to Lula da Silva and, according to rumors, it was he who sold extremely high-value gifts in the United States. value provided to Brazil by foreign governments, and transferring the amounts obtained from these illegal sales to the former ruler, always in cash, so as not to leave traces. The seizure of Sid’s cell phones by federal police on the day of the soldier’s arrest provided investigators with truly explosive information about all of these crimes, as well as others that were not even suspected.

The soldier remained completely silent for several months, even refusing to give his age in some statements out of loyalty to Bolsonaro, but the former president’s gesture made the officer change his mind and decide to speak out. In August, stymied by advancing Federal Police investigations and mounting evidence against him, Jair Bolsonaro tried to deflect and implied that if anything wrong had actually been done, his former aide should be held accountable. , he had great autonomy in his position.

Sid, of course, did not like this, he felt betrayed and decided that he would not pay alone for all the crimes he was accused of. The terms of the lieutenant colonel’s cooperation with the justice system have so far been kept completely secret, but Federal Police sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the officer’s confession hit Jair Bolsonaro hard.