STF: Alexandre de Moraes grants provisional freedom to Valdemar Costa Neto

Justice

National president of PL must comply with precautionary measures

After two days in prison, the national president of the PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, was granted provisional freedom by the minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) Alexandre de Moraes. Costa Neto will leave the Federal Police headquarters in Brasília, but must comply with a series of precautionary measures under penalty of returning to prison.

Moraes released Costa Neto after the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) issued an opinion for his release. The PGR highlighted Valdemar’s age, 74 years old, and the absence of serious threat or violence to grant freedom.

On Friday night (9), the minister had converted the arrest of the national president of the PL into preventive – without a deadline –, but had requested a demonstration from the PGR.

The rest of former president Jair Bolsonaro’s collaborators were kept in prison. Bolsonaro’s former special advisor, Filipe Martins Garcia, remains in preventive detention; Army Colonel Marcelo Costa Câmara, also a former special advisor; and Major Rafael Martins de Oliveira.

Operation

The target of a search and seizure warrant from Operation Tempus Veritatis (The Hour of Truth), Costa Neto was arrested red-handed on Thursday morning (8) because the Federal Police (PF) found a weapon without a license for use. Hours later, the PF reported having found a gold nugget of unproven origin with the politician. The crime of mineral usurpation is non-bailable.

Costa Neto’s defense informed that the nugget was of low value and that possession would not constitute a crime. Regarding the weapon, the lawyers stated that it belonged to a relative and was registered.

Lawyer Fabio Wajngarten, who represents the defense of former president Jair Bolsonaro, wrote about the decision on social media. “The president [nacional do PL] Valdemar has just been released following a decision by Minister Alexandre de Moraes. He was granted provisional freedom”, posted Wajngarten on the social network X (formerly Twitter).

Operation Tempus Veritatis investigates a criminal organization that allegedly participated in the attempted coup d’état.

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