Lula ordered to speed up the depoliticization of the GSI, says minister – 04/21/2023 – Politics

The acting minister of the GSI (Institutional Security Office), Ricardo Cappelli, told the Sheet which received as a mission from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to renew and depoliticize the body.

“The main request of the president was to accelerate the renewal [substituição de membros do gabinete]that will be ongoing next week,” Cappelli said. “[Isso significa] depoliticize, that is, have a more technical, more professional body here that can carry out the work.”

Cappelli, executive secretary of the Ministry of Justice and former interventionist in the security of the Federal District, was chosen on Wednesday (19) to temporarily take over the ministry, after General Gonçalves Dias resigned from his post.

The military man, a longtime friend of Lula’s, left the GSI after the release of images that put the body’s performance in check during the January 8 coup attack.

The crisis that led to the departure of the head of the GSI was triggered by the disclosure, by CNN Brasil, of images of the internal security circuit during the invasion of the headquarters of the Presidency of the Republic, showing a collaborative action of agents with coup leaders and the presence of Gonçalves Days on site.

The videos, evaluate members of the government, reinforce the thesis that there are many uniformed supporters of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in the cabinet, who may have been silent or facilitated the action of the invaders of the Three Powers.

On the first day at the head of the portfolio, Cappelli sent the STF (Federal Supreme Court) a list of 10 names of GSI agents that appear in the videos of the date of the attack, after determination by Minister Alexandre de Moraes.

According to the interim minister, there are agents on that list who were removed and others who were not. The decision on their fate will be taken “by investigating and individualizing conduct”.

The list sent to the court has the names of GSI employees and details on whether they have already been heard in the internal investigation or in the investigation conducted by the Federal Police to investigate the conduct of the agency on January 8.

The internal investigation is scheduled to close by May 26, but Cappelli says he intends to expedite it.

Cappeli even had access to the images of the Palácio do Planalto when he was a security intervenor in the DF. He says, however, that he has not seen the videos released now by CNN Brasil and claims that Lula did not either, denying that there was an attempt to shield the general.

Although Gonçalves Dias appears in the images, he claims to have no doubts about the general’s correctness.

“At the time the images were released, he had the honor to step aside so that there would be no doubt about his commitment to investigating everything. I don’t imagine any kind of participation or doubts about General Gonçalves Dias.”

The GSI has about 800 soldiers and General Gonçalves Dias had already exchanged about 35% of the total contingent, according to the interim minister. Cappelli does not specify what the scope of the renewal will be in the body, but says that the changes in the cabinet will be made independently of the videos.

On Thursday (20), Cappelli met with General Gonçalves Dias, ministers José Múcio (Defense) and Flávio Dino (Justice), General Tomás Paiva, commander of the Army, and the director of the Federal Police, Andrei Rodrigues.

According to Cappelli, the objective was to learn about all the duties of the GSI. The interim minister says that today there is a debate about the nature of the cabinet due to the fact that it has already undergone changes over time.

“Two questions are central [na atribuição do GSI]. First, the issue of the security of the president, vice president, families and palaces. The other central issue is that of advising the president with regard to strategic intelligence,” he says.

Cappelli explains, however, that today the office encompasses functions that go far beyond these two. The GSI deals, for example, with the development of the nuclear program and cybernetic intelligence.

Until the Lula 3 government, the GSI was solely responsible for providing presidential security. The fear that there were Bolsonaro allies infiltrated in the cabinet, however, caused the body to be emptied and the command over the individual security of Lula and Geraldo Alckmin (PSB) transferred to the Federal Police.

Cappelli says that it is necessary to organize how the issue of the president’s security will be handled, as well as actions related to intelligence, since Abin (Brazilian Intelligence Agency), which was also subordinate to the GSI, has passed to the Civil House.

“I intend to present to the president an opinion on the functions, attributions and architecture of the GSI that is most adequate for his decision. An opinion, considering the history and the best existing practices”, he said.

“I think the fundamental thing is to define, organize more clearly the duties of the GSI. And organize, structure an intelligence policy that can advise the President of the Republic. Guarantee security.”

Lula will only make a decision about what he will do with the body when he returns from Europe, next Tuesday (25).

Currently, sides of the government differ on whether to keep a military man or put a civilian at the helm of the GSI.

The assistants who defend keeping the ministry under the command of the military believe that this is the alternative that will bring less trauma and political noise.

Members of the government who defend a civilian at the head of the GSI support a complete restructuring of the ministry. The assessment is that it is necessary to set up a special secretariat with a robust configuration, but under the command of someone outside the military environment.

Attributions of the Institutional Security Office

• Ensure the personal safety of the president, vice president and their families, planning events and trips with the presence of these authorities;

• Assist the President in military and security matters;

• Monitor potential terrorist acts and neutralize them;

• Prevent and manage the occurrence of crises that may threaten institutional stability;

• Coordinate federal intelligence and communications security activities;

• Manage the nuclear program and monitor the Brazilian space sector;

• Monitor risks to the country’s critical infrastructure, that is, the country’s most basic services.