In requesting Bolsonaro's expulsion from the Armed Forces, the Military Prosecutor's Office says the former president orchestrated a coup and acted negligently.
The Attorney General of Military Justice argues that Bolsonaro violated ethical principles of the barracks and used his rank for coup-mongering acts.
247 - The Attorney General of Military Justice, Clauro de Bortolli, requested the expulsion of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) from the Armed Forces, arguing that he "organized a coup against the institutions" and acted with "disregard" for the most basic ethical rules of the military career.
The Estadão newspaper column revealed details of the statement sent by Bortolli to the Superior Military Court (STM), the body responsible for analyzing whether those convicted maintain the integrity and dignity to remain in the ranks of the Armed Forces.
In the representation sent to the STM (Superior Military Court), the head of the Military Public Prosecutor's Office states that Bolsonaro has blatantly deviated from the duties stipulated in the Military Statute. According to the Attorney General, the then-reserve captain of the Army failed to comply with principles such as dedication, fidelity to the Fatherland, probity, loyalty, and discipline. “Instead of acting with dedication and fidelity to the Fatherland, as mandated by item I of article 31 of the Military Statute, (Bolsonaro) orchestrated a coup against his institutions, deviating, in his criminal activities, from probity and loyalty (item III) and discipline (item IV), and seeking, at all costs, to circumvent the rigorous fulfillment of obligations and orders, especially those emanating from the STF (Supreme Federal Court) and the TSE (Superior Electoral Court),” wrote Bortolli.
The Attorney General further highlighted that Bolsonaro had distanced himself from the commitment to preserve the image of the Armed Forces during a significant part of his presidential term. According to the document, the former president "failed to safeguard 'the good name of the Armed Forces and each of its members,' straying, during a relevant portion of his term as President of the Republic, from obedience 'to the precepts of military ethics.'" Concluding this section, Bortolli was categorical: "Without much effort, therefore, one notices the disregard of the now-represented Jair Messias Bolsonaro for the most basic ethical precepts."
According to the Military Public Prosecutor's Office, the seriousness of the conduct attributed to Bolsonaro is aggravated by the use of his military rank as an instrument for committing acts considered illegal and detrimental to democracy. "As will be seen below, the seriousness of the crimes committed and the violation of the military ethical precepts that the defendants once voluntarily swore to respect before the Brazilian flag are uncontroversial, to the extent that they warrant a declaration of unworthiness and the consequent loss of the rank and commission they hold and which they used, according to the judgment rendered in the aforementioned criminal action, to commit the offenses for which they were sanctioned," stated the Attorney General.
