STF makes defendants seven officers from the former PMDF leadership for acts of 8/1

The First Panel of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) decided to make defendants seven officers from the former top of the Military Police of the Federal District (PMDF). The ministers considered that there was an omission on the part of the agents during the acts of January 8, when the headquarters of the Three Powers were invaded and vandalized. The decision was unanimous.

The collegiate also ordered the maintenance of preventive detention of all military police officers. Ministers Cristiano Zanin, Cármen Lúcia and Luiz Fux followed the vote of the rapporteur, minister Alexandre de Moraes. The receipt of the complaint was judged by the First Panel, currently made up of four ministers in the virtual plenary. The majority had already been formed on the 14th.

The PMDF officers were denounced by the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) for alleged omission during the acts. In the complaint, the PGR pointed out that they had conspired since the previous year in favor of a pro-Bolsonaro popular uprising and, on January 8, they deliberately allowed the crimes to be committed, reported the Brazil Agency.

All were denounced for the crimes of violent abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law, coup d’état, qualified damage to Union assets, deterioration of listed assets and violations of the PMDF Organic Law.

According to the STF, from now on, new complaints and criminal actions initiated regarding the acts of 8/1 will be analyzed by the First Panel. In December 2023, the Court changed the Internal Regulations to reestablish the competence of the Panels. However, the actions that were already being processed before the change will remain under analysis in the Plenary.

Individual criminal actions will be initiated and evidence and testimonies from defense and prosecution witnesses will be collected regarding the crimes described by the PGR. Only after this stage will the STF judge whether to convict or acquit the defendants. In his vote, Moraes dismissed defense allegations that the Supreme Court did not have the competence to judge the top leadership of the PM. The minister highlighted the Court’s plenary decision that attested to the STF’s jurisdiction in the case.

The rapporteur also rejected the ineptitude of the complaint, alleged by all defenses. The lawyers argued that the PGR would not have been successful in outlining the allegedly illegal conduct. The defenses also stated that the police were not aware of the possibility of violent acts during January 8, a hypothesis that was rejected by Moraes.

The soldiers accused are: Klepter Rosa Gonçalves, former general commander of the PMDF; Fábio Augusto Vieira, former general commander; Jorge Eduardo Naime Barreto, former commander of the Operations Department; Paulo José Ferreira de Sousa, former interim commander of the Operations Department; Marcelo Casimiro Vasconcelos, former head of the 1st Regional Police Command; and Flávio Silvestre de Alencar and Rafael Pereira Martins, PMs who were working during January 8th.