Head of the GSI has a trajectory linked to the PT

Born in Americana (SP), reserve general Gonçalves Dias, 73, chief minister of the Institutional Security Office (GSI) of the Presidency of the Republic, has a long and successful career in the Army. He served in security for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) while still on active duty in the Army and later as a reserve soldier.

As a major and lieutenant colonel, Gonçalves Dias worked in Lula’s personal security from 2003, the beginning of the PT’s first term, until 2009, in his second term, as secretary of security for the Presidency.

Gonçalves Dias also served as head of the Institutional Security Coordination during the government of former President Dilma Rousseff.

Dias returned to work in Lula’s security during his election campaign in 2022. Soon after, the PT chose him to command the GSI, his name being announced to head the advisory body of the Presidency in military and security matters by the team of government transition in December last year.

General had a long career in the Army

Marco Gonçalves Dias’ career began shortly after completing the course at the Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras (Aman), in 1975, followed by several courses at other military educational institutions. As a senior officer, he commanded the 19th Motorized Infantry Battalion and held senior roles in a variety of areas. The general was also director of Social Assistance for the Army and deputy head of the General Department of Army Personnel.

As a general of division, Dias was commander of the 6th Military Region, with jurisdiction in the states of Bahia and Sergipe, in the government of Dilma Rousseff (PT). In 2012, he was involved in controversy when he was filmed receiving a birthday cake from Bahian police officers who were on strike. Gonçalves Dias headed an Operation to Guarantee Law and Order to replace the police at the time.

This Wednesday (19), CNN released images showing the GSI minister present at the Planalto Palace on the afternoon of January 8, during the invasion of the building by vandals. The scenes do not show the head of the GSI offering resistance to the invaders.

The GSI and the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin) would be, in the opposition’s view, the main targets of the investigation by the Mixed Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPMI) proposed to investigate vandalism in Praça dos Três Poderes. The suspicion of the opposition is that there was negligence and prevarication of the federal authorities, who learned two days before the risk of the attacks.