In letter, military personnel come out in defense of former Navy commander cited in accusation

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Admiral Garnier’s classmates say they “believe in his innocence”

Admiral Almir Garnier, former commander of the Navy, received support from colleagues who graduated with him in 1976 from the Naval Academy. In a letter circulating among military personnel, the group says that Garnier “faces accusations thrown to the wind” and they say “they believe in his innocence.”

In an award-winning collaboration, Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid told the Federal Police that, after the defeat in the elections, President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) met with the commanders of the Forces to discuss a plan to not leave power.

Garnier, then commander of the Navy, would have supported the attempt and made the troops available. General Freire Gomes, commander of the Army, reportedly rejected the proposal.

“The accusations against Admiral Garnier are thrown to the winds because they are based on a subject under judicial secrecy, which makes it impossible to prove them or, based on a subject under judicial secrecy, to contradict them. Worse still, those involved are prevented from speaking out due to the same secrecy granted to their statements, while misinformation is rampant”, says the manifesto.

In the nine-paragraph letter, Garnier’s classmates say it is up to them to give “the testimony about the person behind the title”. They also say that it makes no sense to assume that the admiral “managed to deceive everyone”.

“To assume that a squadron admiral who has faced the scrutiny of his peers throughout his career has managed to deceive everyone and change his behavior in such a dramatic way makes no sense. After all, people rarely actually change, but they improve in being what they always were. If you want to judge someone, look at their past. There the truth lies.”

Finally, the group writes: “Because we know Garnier’s past, we in the association of his Naval Academy class believe in his innocence, we form alongside him and salute him. It is our duty of loyalty to a friend, a brother, an admiral.”

Garnier’s allies see Cid’s testimony shielding the Army.

These military personnel argue that Cid is an active Army lieutenant colonel and the son of a retired general. Therefore, in their assessment, it would be “natural” for the former aide-de-camp to shield the Force to which he belongs.

People close to Garnier allege that the former commander, although he made his political preferences clear, never discussed a coup proposal with the Navy’s top brass.

A CNNa colleague said that the admiral “expressed his opinion transparently, but that does not mean attempting a coup.”

*With information from CNN

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