The hearing of Jair Bolsonaro’s former aide-de-camp, lieutenant colonel Mauro Cid, on November 21st, brought news that was fundamental to the list of evidence that took General Walter Braga Netto to prisonthis Saturday (14). 
The attempt to obtain confidential data on the testimony of Mauro Cid, former aide-de-camp to former president Jair Bolsonaro, was characterized as obstruction of justice actionby “preventing or embarrassing ongoing investigations”, pointed out the rapporteur of the inquiry, Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF).
According to the Federal Police report, there are “several pieces of evidence” against Braga Netto, who had acted to prevent the full elucidation of the facts and “with the aim of controlling the information provided, altering the reality of the facts ascertained, in addition to consolidate the alignment of versions among those investigated”.
“Intense exchange”
To obtain this evidence, federal police carried out an examination on the cell phone of General Mauro César Lourena Cid, father of the colonel who worked with Jair Bolsonaro. There was “intense exchange of messages” via messaging app, which were deleted and later recovered by the PF. The main topic was about Bolsonaro’s embezzlement of jewelry, in August 2023.
The PF identified that Braga Netto’s name was saved in General Lourena Cid’s diary as “Walter BN”.
Other recovered conversations took place on September 12, when general Mário Fernandes told retired colonel Jorge Kormann that Mauro Cid’s parents called generals Braga Netto and Augusto Heleno, former minister in the Bolsonaro administration, informing them that the disclosure of the content of the deletion by the press was “all a lie”.
Questions and answers
The PF argues that Braga Netto tried to obtain the agreement details through Colonel Cid’s family, which was decisive for the arrest. Another piece of evidence found was at the headquarters of the Liberal Party (PL), in Brasília, on the desk of Colonel Flávio Peregrino, direct advisor to General Braga Netto.
It was a sheet with questions (supposedly asked by Braga Netto) and answers (supposedly written by Mauro Cid).
Among the questions: “What was reported?”, with the following answer: “Nothing. I didn’t go to meetings. He just brought the people in.” There are five other questions asking for more information about what the PF had.
The former aide-de-camp said, in a statement to the PF, that the answers were not written by him.
“Perhaps intermediaries could have been trying to get close to me, even personally, to try to understand what I said, to want to question it, but as I couldn’t speak, I kind of kept talking and went to other paths, so I couldn’t reveal what was said. ”, said Cid to PF delegate Fábio Shor.
Conversation with Mauro Cid’s father
Minister Alexandre de Moraes argued in the decision for the arrest that, in the hearing, held at the Federal Police, Mauro Cid had confirmed that Braga Netto tried to obtain confidential data from his father, Lourena Cid. In his statement to delegate Fábio Shor, Mauro Cid said that the contact took place by telephone, as his father lives in Rio de Janeiro, and Braga Netto was in Brasília.
General Cid, on December 6th, also confirmed that he was wanted by Braga Netto.
Operation “Green and Yellow Dagger”
The PF argued that, in addition to the new evidence indicating the general’s criminal activity, Mauro Cid’s new testimony pointed out that the candidate for vice president, on Bolsonaro’s ticket in 2022, financed the resources necessary for the organization and execution of the operation “ Green and Yellow Punhal” (coup plan drawn up by the military to prevent President Lula from taking office).
Money in wine bag
“The general passed money directly to the then Major Rafael de Oliveira in a wine bag, which would be used to finance the expenses necessary to carry out the operation”, pointed out the PF, which found that the money was used to purchase a cell phone (for the criminal action) and chips for communication between group members. Payments were also made in kind.
Furthermore, according to investigations, Braga Netto was a protagonist in the planning and financing of a coup d’état, which included the illegal detention and possible execution of minister Alexandre de Moraes (then president of the Superior Electoral Court), “using of military and terrorist techniques, in addition to the possible assassination of the candidates elected in the 2022 elections (Lula and Alckmin)”.
Leadership role
According to Moraes, the developments in the investigation, starting with the “Contragolpe” operation, and Mauro Cid’s new testimonies “revealed the very serious participation of Walter Souza Braga Netto in the facts investigated, in a true role of leadership, organization and financing, in addition to demonstrating relevant evidence that the defendant acted, repeatedly, to embarrass the investigations.”
The STF minister argues in the decision that, based on the evidence obtained, the general’s actions are related, “especially, to the illicit operational actions carried out by the investigated Special Forces members”.
Moraes also recalls that, at Braga Netto’s house, military personnel trained in Army special forces met on November 12, 2022, to plan monitoring actions against the authorities.
General’s defense
THE defense by General Walter Braga Netto released a note, this Saturday afternoon (14), in which he denies obstruction in the investigations and that he will speak out in the process.
