Defense Minister José Múcio said this Friday (20) that he sees no direct involvement of the Armed Forces in the coup acts of January 8. But, according to him, military personnel who have participated individually should be punished.
“I understand that there was no direct involvement of the Armed Forces. Now, if any element, individually, had its participation, he will respond as a citizen,” he told journalists. Asked about the risk of a new attempt at democratic destabilization, Múcio said that there is no possibility. “I have no doubt that others like that will not happen. Also because the Armed Forces will anticipate.”
Múcio met earlier with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the commanders of the Army, General Júlio Cesar de Arruda, of the Navy, Admiral Marcos Sampaio Olsen, and of the Air Force, Lieutenant Brigadier Marcelo Kanitz Damasceno. According to the minister, the meeting did not deal with the acts, but with investments in the area of the defense industry.
“We are not dealing with the 8th. That is up to the Justice. We are dealing with the job generation capacity that Brazil has in the Defense industry”, he explained. The president of the Federation of Industries of São Paulo (Fiesp), Josué Gomes, and businessmen from the sector participated in the meeting.
In an interview with the news channel GloboNews this week, the President Lula criticized the intelligence work of the Armed Forces and also the failure of the Military Police to contain the advance of the demonstrators, who destroyed the main buildings of the Republic.
