From draft to assassination plot: the omissions and contradictions in the defenses of those accused of coup.
Lawyers for those indicted by the Attorney General's Office are trying to distance their clients from the charges, but are leaving questions unanswered.
247 - The preliminary defenses presented to the Supreme Federal Court (STF) in the case of the alleged 2022 coup plot avoid clarifying crucial points of the events that resulted in the indictment of 34 people by the Attorney General's Office (PGR). As reported by Folha de S. PaulThe documents filed since the 6th focus on questioning the legality of the process and the impartiality of Minister Alexandre de Moraes, but do not dispel doubts about the facts presented in the investigation.
The main target of the accusation, Jair Bolsonaro (PL), maintains that there is no conclusive evidence of his direct involvement in the events of January 8, 2023, nor in the elaboration of an alleged plan to assassinate authorities. However, regarding the so-called "coup draft," his defense adopts an ambiguous approach. The existence of the document is neither explicitly denied nor confirmed. It is only stated that, if such a draft existed, it would have been softened by Bolsonaro and never signed, which, according to his lawyers, would negate any illegality.
The uncertainty surrounding the document is compounded by the fact that versions of the draft were found in strategic locations, such as the residence of former Justice Minister Anderson Torres and Bolsonaro's office at the PL headquarters. Furthermore, whistleblowers and witnesses confirm that the text was presented to military commanders seeking their support.
Retired General Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, then Minister of Defense, is identified as the one responsible for bringing the proposal to a meeting with the heads of the three Armed Forces on December 14, 2022. The military officer's defense admits the meeting took place, but claims it was only intended to avoid a potential institutional crisis, with no intention of promoting a coup. However, it does not explain why a document with such implications was discussed among the military commanders.
Another unanswered question concerns the plan dubbed "Green and Yellow Dagger," which, according to investigations by the Federal Police, involved the assassination of President Lula (PT), Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), and Alexandre de Moraes. General Mário Fernandes, identified as the mastermind behind the plan, denies having presented the project to anyone. This version, however, is contradicted by evidence indicating that he presented the idea to Lieutenant Colonel Rafael de Oliveira, who would have been responsible for carrying out the attack.
Fernandes' defense also fails to clarify why the document related to the plan was printed more than once inside the Presidential Palace, nor what the real purpose of its creation was. Meanwhile, the lawyers for Marcelo Câmara, Bolsonaro's former advisor and accused of monitoring Moraes' movements, argue that he only followed information available from open sources on the internet, which would not constitute a crime. However, the reason why this task was delegated to the advisor remains unexplained.
Finally, General Augusto Heleno, former head of the Institutional Security Office (GSI), also defends himself by alleging a lack of concrete evidence against him. His lawyers are trying to downplay statements he made at a ministerial meeting in July 2022, when he stated that if it were necessary to "turn the tables," this should happen before the elections. However, the defense does not clarify the context in which these statements were made or how they could be interpreted differently.
