The Federal Supreme Court of Brazil unanimously decided on Tuesday to convict five of the six defendants from the second of five groups accused of attempting a coup, sentencing them to prison terms ranging from eight to 26 years.
Among those convicted is retired Army General Mário Fernandes, who served as an executive secretary under President Jair Bolsonaro. He received the highest sentence in the group: 26 years and six months in prison for his role in the conspiracy that occurred between 2022 and 2023.
The then-director of the Federal Highway Police, Silvinei Vasques, was sentenced to 24 years and six months in prison, while two former advisors to Bolsonaro, Marcelo Câmara and Filipe Martins— the latter handling international affairs— received sentences of 21 years in prison.
The sentences address charges of attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d’état, participation in an armed criminal organization, aggravated damage, and deterioration of property.
Meanwhile, the former director of Intelligence at the Ministry of Justice, Marília Alencar, was convicted of attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law and coup d’état, receiving a sentence of eight years and six months in prison.
Both Marília Alencar and Silvinei Vasques were removed from their respective public positions— Federal Police delegate and municipal secretary of Economic Development in the city of São José, in the state of Santa Catarina, respectively.
The sentences address charges of attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d’état, participation in an armed criminal organization, aggravated damage, and deterioration of property.
Additionally, the higher court decided to suspend the political rights of all accused for eight years, stating they “will not be able to vote or run for any public office.” According to a statement from the court, a joint fine of 30 million Brazilian reais (just over 4.6 million euros) was also approved “for collective moral damages,” a penalty to be paid “jointly by all those convicted for their participation in the events of January 8, 2023.”
On the other hand, Federal Police delegate Fernando Oliveira was acquitted due to lack of evidence, with Judge Alexandre de Moraes, the case instructor, considering that “even if he had knowledge of the facts, there is insufficient evidence that he joined the coup movement.”
The trial of the second group of defendants was the last of the five to take place, as part of a lengthy legal process that encompassed 1,734 criminal actions, 619 of which were for “more serious crimes, such as organized crime, attempted coup d’état, and crimes against the democratic rule of law,” as indicated by the Supreme Court in a previous statement.
Platform with Lusa
