On Thursday (08/02), the Federal Police (PF) launched Operation Tempus Veritatis, which investigates the existence of a criminal organization that would have worked to carry out an attempted coup d’état and to abolish the Democratic Rule of Law, seeking to maintain the then President of the Republic in power. The planning process would have started at least 3 months before the election and involved, politicians, businessmen, and members of all Armed Forces, including five generals, like General Augusto Heleno. The coup stages included even the arrest of STF Ministers, such as Alexandre de Moraes. The coup failure is largely attributed to the fact that the High Command Refused to join it.
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Tempus Veritatis
33 search and seizure warrants, four preventive arrest warrants, and 48 precautionary measures other than prison were authorized in the states of Amazonas, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul, Ceará, Espírito Santo, Paraná, Goiás and in the Federal District.
According to media sources, the targets of the action include:
- Almir Garnier, former Navy commander;
- Anderson Torres, former Justice Minister;
- Augusto Heleno, former Institutional Security Cabinet minister;
- Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, former Army commander and Defense Minister;
- Tércio Arnaud, former advisor to Bolsonaro;
- Walter Braga Netto, former Defense Minister and candidate for Vice-president in Bolsonaro’s 2022 ticket;
- Rafael Martins;
- Valdemar Costa Neto, Liberal Party president;
- Marcelo Câmara, former aide-de-camp;
- Filipe Martins, former international advisor to the Bolsonaro government.
At this stage of Operation Tempus Veritatis, the inquiry indicates that the group investigated was divided into at least six action groups that had as main objectives:
- Disseminate the idea of fraud in the 2022 presidential elections;
- Thus, enabling and legitimizing a military intervention.
Nuclei
- The first nucleus was focused on attacking the electoral system and spreading fake news about it. The objective was to discredit the system.
- The legal core provided advice and drafted decrees with legal and doctrinal grounds to support the coup.
- The third sought to incite military personnel to join the coup.
- The fourth supported the coup actions, planning and executing measures to maintain demonstrations in front of military barracks.
- The fifth collected information that could help in the consummation of the coup.
- In the fifth, officers acted to influence and incite support for the other groups.
Liberal Party (PL)
On Thursday (08/02), the Federal Police found inside the PL headquarters, in Brasília, a document that defends and announces the decree of a state of siege and the guarantee of law and order in the country. The document was found in Bolsonaro’s room.
The party, which is President Lula’s biggest rival in Congress, also had its president arrested after the PF searched his house and discovered that he had a gun without a permit.
Special Forces
According to the PF, military personnel and assistants closest to former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) called meetings with the Military Special Forces to organize undemocratic acts and help the coup plotters. This group is trained to participate in missions with a high degree of risk and secrecy. Their work includes irregular warfare operations — terrorism, guerrilla warfare, insurgency, resistance movements, and insurgency.
Armed Forces’ Reaction
On Thursday (08/02), Defense Minister José Múcio Monteiro stated that the Armed Forces must support compliance with court decisions even if military personnel are targets of the operation.
Meanwhile, according to media sources, the forces’ top officers agree that the material collected by the PF investigations is robust, but also that it would prove that the Armed Forces did not want the coup. Moreover, the leadership also will not oppose any STF decision. Thus, if top-ranking generals are arrested, it will be accepted.
Punishments
Those who eventually are condemned as a consequence of this operation can be sentenced to a maximum of 23 years in prison. In the case of former President Bolsonaro, if he is prosecuted and convicted of the crimes, he could remain ineligible for more than 30 years. Bolsonaro has not yet been indicted, but he has already been convicted by the TSE for attacks and lies about the electoral system and is the target of other investigations by the STF. Right now, he is ineligible until at least 2030.
Analysis:
The Federal Police operation increases pressure on the political movement created by Bolsonaro but could also serve as fuel for a movement in the National Congress that aims to reduce the power of the Supreme Federal Court (STF). The Senate has already approved a PEC (proposed amendment to the Constitution) limiting the individual decisions of STF ministers, in an opposition offensive that had the support of the President of the House, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG). The text is in the Chamber.
In addition, new names from the opposition could eventually become involved in the investigations, benefiting the government, particularly in the Senate, by reducing the strength of the opposition in Congress.
Source: G1
