RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) – Former Brazilian Defense Minister Walter Braga Netto was arrested yesterday for allegedly meddling in the investigation of a planned military coup that federal police accuse him of organizing and financing.
The retired four-star general,accused by federal police in November of plotting a coup to overturn election+n results,had also served as chief of staff for former President Jair Bolsonaro and was his running mate in a failed reelection bid.
Braga Netto has denied any role in the alleged conspiracy. His lawyers did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
In November, federal police accused Braga Netto along with Bolsonaro, senior aides and former military commanders of plotting to bar President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office, including a scheme to kill him, after the 2022 election.
The arrest came after investigators uncovered evidence of a larger role for the retired general in the alleged coup plot than previously thought, according to Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who ordered the arrest.
Beyond allegedly hosting a meeting in his house that set in motion a plan to assassinate Lula and his Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin, federal police said Braga Netto provided funds to those involved in the plot.
Investigators say Braga Netto also tried to meddle in the police probe by trying to get details of depositions by Mauro Cid, a Bolsonaro aide who is cooperating with police.
In a statement, federal police said it served two search warrants in connection with the arrest. The searches happened at Braga Netto’s residence in Rio de Janeiro and the home of retired colonel Flavio Botelho Peregrino in Brasilia, the army said in a statement.
Peregrino could not be reached immediately for comment.
Braga Netto will remain in army custody in Rio. Under a 1980 law, military officers can only be detained by police if they are caught in the course of a criminal act and must be surrendered to the military after the crime is registered.
