‘There’s only one way out: being arrested,’ says Lula about charges against Bolsonaro
20 de February de 2025
By Ana Pastana – From Cenarium
MANAUS (AM) – The President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), stated during an interview with Rádio Tupi in Rio de Janeiro on the morning of Thursday, the 20th, that “if proven, he [Bolsonaro] has only one way out: being arrested.” The statement came after Lula was asked by journalist Sidney Rezende, anchor of the news program, whether former President Jair Messias Bolsonaro (PL) will be convicted and imprisoned by the Supreme Federal Court (STF).
Lula affirmed that if investigations prove the involvement of former President Bolsonaro and the other 33 individuals indicted by General Attorney Paulo Gonet in the STF for attempting a coup d’état and other crimes, the only outcome is imprisonment. The president classifies the charges as “very serious.”
“What I saw from the charges published yesterday [Wednesday, the 19th] is that it is serious, very serious. The other day, I was saying that the Brazilian Communist Party [PCB] was persecuted for almost 50 years without having done 10% of what the former president’s team tried to do in this country. If the charges made by the General Attorney [Gonet] about the attempted coup, the former president’s involvement, his top-level officials, the attempted murder of a Supreme Electoral Court minister, the attempted assassination of the president and vice president of the Republic, are proven, it is something extremely serious. I am sure that if it is proven, he has only one way out: being arrested,” said Lula.
Watch the statement:
The Charges
Former President Bolsonaro was indicted by the STF on Tuesday, the 18th, by General Attorney of the Republic Paulo Gonet for involvement in a coup plot after losing the 2022 elections, in an attempt to prevent the inauguration of elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin (PSB).
Bolsonaro and former Defense Minister Walter Souza Braga Netto divided roles and defined strategic functions within the coup plan, according to the indictment by the General Prossecution Office (PGR). Documents and testimonies reveal that the duo organized the distribution of key positions in the plot to prevent the inauguration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and keep Bolsonaro in power.
The indictment by General Attorney of the Republic Paulo Gonet to the Supreme Federal Court (STF) details in depth how former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) led the plan, one of the crimes for which he was indicted along with 33 others, mostly military members of the Armed Forces.
According to Gonet, “the organization was led by the President of the Republic himself and his vice-presidential candidate, General Braga Netto,” emphasizing that both “accepted, encouraged, and carried out acts classified under criminal law as an attack against the legal protection of the existence and independence of the powers and the democratic rule of law.”
Lifting of Secrecy
STF Minister Alexandre de Moraes decided on Wednesday, the 19th, to lift the confidentiality of the testimonies of Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid in his plea bargain agreement with the Federal Police (PF). The military officer’s testimony was one of the main elements in advancing the PF’s investigation into the coup plot orchestrated by former President Bolsonaro and his allies at the end of 2022.
“The general maintenance of the exceptional secrecy of the plea bargain agreement is no longer justified in preserving the public interest, as it is no longer necessary, neither to protect the rights granted to the collaborator nor to ensure the success of the investigations,” said the minister.
Moraes also notified the defense teams of the defendants to present their responses to the PGR’s indictment within 15 days.