Army leadership considers Freire Gomes' testimony about coup plot to be 'positive'

247 - Members of the Army High Command consider the testimony of the former Army commander, General Marco Antônio Freire Gomes, to the Federal Police (PF) to be positive, as part of the investigation into an alleged coup plot to keep Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in power and prevent the inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

Generals interviewed by the journalist's column Beautiful MegaleAccording to O Globo, "the clarifications made by Freire Gomes help to 'alleviate' the suspicion that there was a coup movement within the Army's leadership." In his testimony to the Federal Police, Freire Gomes detailed his participation in a meeting where Bolsonaro discussed coup proposals, but stressed that he opposed the coup attempt. >>> The Federal Police are still investigating whether Freire Gomes failed to act in the face of the Bolsonaro-backed coup attempt.

Freire Gomes' testimony follows the line of Bolsonaro's former aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, who stated in his plea bargain with the Federal Police that the only commander of the Armed Forces who would have agreed with the then-president's coup proposal was Admiral Almir Garnier, of the Navy. >>> Mauro Cid will give a new statement to the Federal Police following revelations by Freire Gomes.

"In the barracks, the interpretation is that Freire Gomes' testimony reinforces the message that the current leadership of the Armed Forces is repeating: despite external pressures, mainly from Bolsonaro, the Army commander, who is responsible for the troops, did not embrace the coup," the report highlights. >>> Cornered, Bolsonaro requests access to military testimonies.

The assessment from senior officers is that Freire Gomes' testimony highlights that the Army command was aligned with democratic principles and determined to work towards the transition to Lula's government.