Army: Lula’s crisis pivot with military takes office – 02/24/2023 – Power

One month after having his nomination suspended for the command of a battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid was reassigned in the Army structure to a position in the direction of Coter (Army Land Operations Command).

At the head of the Ground Force Preparation, Cid —who was former president Jair Bolsonaro’s (PL) assistant— will be responsible for taking care of the general instructions given to military training. Among his attributions is to assist in the preparation of GLOs (Guarantees of Law and Order), with exercises to qualify the troops to act in these operations.

The function is administrative and linked to Coter’s bureaucracy – different from the position that Bolsonaro’s former advisor would occupy in the 1st Battalion of Command Actions, in Goiânia, in which he would be responsible for commanding the troop.

The new occupation, however, may be temporary. According to people close to him, Cid intends to apply for the Army’s internal selection process to assume command of another battalion in 2024.

The expectation around the military is that his pendencies in court will already be resolved by the beginning of the second half, when the result of the process should be announced.

They cite, for example, that the PGR (Attorney General’s Office) has already spoken out in favor of shelving the inquiry in which Cid and Bolsonaro are investigated for associating vaccines against Covid with the false risk of developing the AIDS virus.

The fear of Cid’s interlocutors is that the investigation by the Federal Police into the suspicious transactions carried out by the former aide-de-camp will take longer than expected. Thus, still under suspicion, the lieutenant colonel may have to spend another year in an administrative position – which could jeopardize his promotion to colonel.

The Land Operations Command is the body responsible for coordinating the preparation and employment of Army personnel. It is also up to Coter to inspect the Military Police and the Military Fire Brigade.

Mauro Cid was Bolsonaro’s assistant during the entire period that the politician was at the Planalto Palace. He left the role after accompanying the former president on his trip to the United States at the end of December.

The link developed with Bolsonaro and the former president’s crises with the Judiciary made Cid’s situation in the Army difficult.

First place in the Force’s master’s and doctorate classes, he was assigned in May 2022 to take over the battalion of Goiânia – one of the main positions that can be occupied by lieutenant colonels, as the organization is considered an elite troop.

The appointment, however, was annulled by order of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). To meet the presidential demand, the Minister of Defense, José Múcio Monteiro, dismissed the then commander of the Army, General Júlio César de Arruda, who resisted the change in Cid’s position.

The new commander, Tomás Paiva, reached an agreement with Cid to postpone the appointment to the command position.

In a meeting with the Army High Command hours later, Tomás stated that the justification for the change was the fact that Cid was being investigated by the Federal Police for having made suspicious transactions for the benefit of Bolsonaro’s family and friends. But this is not the only problem in court involving the former aide-de-camp.

The lieutenant colonel was investigated for participating in the organization of the live on July 29, 2021, when the president made the toughest attack against the electoral system; and after the live on August 4, 2021, when Bolsonaro released confidential inquiry information about a hacker attack on the TSE (Superior Electoral Court).

It was this second investigation that complicated Cid’s situation.

The military had its secrecy broken by order of Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the STF (Federal Supreme Court). Investigators identified suspicious messages on the military’s phone.

Written conversations, photos and audios exchanged by him and other Presidency officials suggest the existence of fractional deposits and cash withdrawals.

The movement was intended to pay personal bills of the presidential family and also of people close to former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro denies any wrongdoing.

In his defense, Cid presented extracts from the corporate card that he was responsible for managing. The documents show that, in the four years of government, there was no expense in the bank account.

According to this line of defense, the lieutenant colonel would only have paid the president’s bills with the family’s own resources within his duties as Bolsonaro’s assistant.