Former army chief confirms Bolsonaro proposed coup

In a statement that puts former President Jair Bolsonaro at the center and commanding a coup attempt in late 2022 to prevent Lula da Silva from taking office, former army chief Freire Gomes confirmed that it was the head of state himself who proposed the institutional break. to reverse the defeat suffered in the presidential elections in October of that year.

Part of the statements of Freire Gomez published this Friday by the Brazilian press, and that CM already partially advanced, they place Jair Bolsonaro for the first time as a central and very active figure in the coup plot, contradicting the defense thesis that something was being plotted without his knowledge.

Published details show that the general claimed that Jair Bolsonaro summoned him at least twice: once on December 7, 2022 and several days later. At these moments, the President of the Republic presented drafts of exceptional presidential decrees that would try to give legality to the coup d’etat.

At the first meeting, according to the general, Jair Bolsonaro said that there were several possibilities for carrying out a coup d’état disguised as legal action, including a decree on guarantees of law and order, a declaration of a state of defense, or a declaration of a state of defense. Siege.

In all these exceptional situations, the Armed Forces are called in and directly or indirectly assume control of power under the pretext of the need to intervene to prevent or put an end to possible social chaos or an immediate threat to the sovereignty and stability of the country. . .

According to the former army chief, Bolsonaro asked the military to follow the plan and make proposals to change and improve the draft, which would later be converted into a legal document by then-Justice Minister Anderson Torres.

Air Force chief Brigadier General Batista Junior and Navy Admiral Almir Garnier were also present at two meetings held at the Palácio da Alvorada, the presidential residence in Brasilia, where Bolsonaro was believed to be deeply depressed, allies said.

In his testimony, Freire Gomes stated that both he and Batista Junior rejected the proposal for an institutional break and made it clear that the troops they commanded would not engage in illegal activities.

The first of the two meetings was also attended by the President’s special adviser for international affairs, Felipe Martins, also a lawyer, while the other, in addition to the military leaders and Bolsonaro, was attended by Defense Minister General Paulo Sergio. The coup included Nogueira, who defended the coup, and Justice Minister Anderson Torres.

When asked why he did not condemn the coup plan and leave Bolsonaro in power indefinitely, Freire Gómez replied that he did not file a complaint thinking about the good of Brazil, because if he had done so, he would have been rehabilitated, and The president appointed him to his position, and he was led by a general who advocated a break.