Three black children are among the defendants in the Supreme Court of Justice (STF) Trial on Coup Plot Three, which began last Tuesday (11th) in the First Chamber, and continue to operate despite several defendants leaving the armed forces in recent months as the case progresses through the courts. The three should join a group of military officials, including former President Jair Bolsonaro, who have been convicted of plotting against Lula’s inauguration.
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The blog team learned from the Army that Lt. Col. Hélio Ferreira Lima, Lt. Col. Rafael Martins de Oliveira, and Lt. Col. Rodrigo Bezerra de Azevedo are still on active duty. The three are being held by army units in Ferreira Lima in Manaus, de Oliveira in Niterói (RJ) and Bezera de Azevedo in Brasilia. They also continue to receive their paychecks.
Their expulsion from the military will only be assessed after their convictions are confirmed. In cases of imprisonment exceeding two years, military law determines expulsion, but must first be tried at the Superior Military Tribunal (STM).
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As we blogged in September, almost all military personnel identified by the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) as members of the coup attempt have decided to transfer to the reserves, including several members of the FE.
By then, 16 officers had requested to leave the force. Since then, another defendant has publicly announced his request. Lieutenant Colonel Sergio Cavaliere was one of the Group 3 defendants, but was not a member of the special forces.
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According to the PGR, they were all part of the secret surveillance of the authorities, including Lula, head of the Supreme Court of Justice (STF) Alexandre de Moraes, then-vice president-elect Gerard Alcumin, and another retired black general, Mario Fernández, who is awaiting trial for the second nucleus of the coup plot.
PF’s investigation revealed that the plan was articulated in a WhatsApp group called “World Cup 2022,” whose members used the country’s code name to carry out the Punjal Verde e Amarero plot, which envisioned the kidnapping and murder of Moraes, Lula and Alcumin.
According to the PGR, Mr. de Oliveira, also known as Mr. de Guerre, and Mr. Ferreira Lima held leading positions in the operational strategy of the conspiracy.
According to Attorney General Paulo Gone, the pair led “on-the-ground actions aimed at the surveillance and neutralization of public institutions” and “contributed to the planning of a coup d’état” using military and terrorist methods to eliminate the ticket to victory in the polls formed by Alexandre de Moraes, Mr. Lula and Mr. Alcumin.
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In addition to Ferreira Lima, de Oliveira, and Azevedo, another soldier involved in the coup plot remains in the army for a short time. This is the case of Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, who was sentenced to two years in prison in September.
Mr Bolsonaro’s former deputy Sid received the lightest punishment from a key figure in the so-called coup by striking a plea deal with the Federal Police (PF), which was at the center of PGR’s charges.
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As mentioned in the blog, the lieutenant colonel called for transfer to the reserve based on mandatory quotas if the number of vacancies for promotion does not reach the minimum number prescribed by the unit. However, this request should only be analyzed by Army Commander Thomas Paiva early next year. The rest had already served enough time and were transferred to the reserves.
During the trial, Mauro Cid’s defense said the soldier was no longer “mentally fit” to continue his military service. The assessment within the military leadership is that the other defendants followed the same scenario because they felt there was no mood for them to continue on active duty.
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Because his sentence was only two years, Sid avoided undergoing STM proceedings, where he could have been stripped of his rank and declared unfit for the Army. This is not the case for Bolsonaro or other convicted soldiers, such as General Walter Braga Netto, General Augusto Heleno, and General Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, who were sentenced to more than 20 years in prison.
In the case of the black children of Core 3 and other military defendants in the coup plot, this prognosis will depend on the Supreme Court’s ruling against the convicted officers. The functions of military justice are outside the authority of the army command.
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