Aldo Rebelo says Bolsonaro did not try to carry out a coup and criticizes investigations

Former minister Aldo Rebelo, who was part of the governments of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and Dilma Rousseff (PT), criticized this weekend the progress of investigations against former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL). The politician, who now occupies the Secretariat of International Relations at São Paulo City Hall, stated that they are banning Bolsonaro from politics, just as was done with Lula in 2018.

“The methods that are being used against Bolsonaro today are the same ones that were used to derail Lula’s candidacy, and with the same protagonists: Judiciary, Public Ministry, Federal Police and media”, he said in an interview with CNN Brazil.

For Rebelo, Bolsonaro “did not try to carry out any coup”, even with ongoing investigations hearing from former ministers, former advisors, allies and military personnel – including the former aide-de-camp, Mauro Cid, who made a plea bargain and will be heard again this Monday afternoon (11) by the Federal Police.

Aldo Rebelo states that a coup d’état “requires articulation and protagonism that did not occur, which does not occur in a recorded public meeting”.

The former minister claimed to maintain a close relationship with Bolsonaro, including regular contacts via WhatsApp. Regarding the possibility of being a vice candidate on Mayor Ricardo Nunes’ (MDB) ticket in this year’s municipal election, Rebelo said he found out about it through the press.

Regarding the Federal Police operation investigating Bolsonaro and his allies for an alleged coup attempt to keep him in the presidency, Nunes stated that he trusts democratic institutions and the Judiciary, highlighting that it is necessary to guarantee the “presumption of innocence” and the right of defense to the former president, as provided for in the Constitution.

Nunes, who has the support of the PL and Bolsonaro in the electoral race for the Mayor of São Paulo, nominated the retired colonel and former commander of Rota, Ricardo de Mello Araújo, to be vice-president on his ticket, following the nomination made by former president in February.