Priest accused of participating in an alleged plot to assassinate the president of Brazil

Sao Paulo, Brazil, November 22, 2024 / 16:50

On November 21, the Brazilian federal police charged Father José Eduardo de Oliveira e Silva from the diocese of Osasco in the state of São Paulo with a group of 37 people, including former president Jair Bolsonaro, suspected of planning the brutal abolition of the rule of democratic law, planning a coup d’état and belonging to a criminal organization.

According to the authorities, the publication of volhas a list of defendants in the final report of the investigation into the alleged coup d’état was approved by the country’s Supreme Federal Court.

The charges stem from an investigation by federal police into an alleged plot to assassinate then-president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Military personnel and military police have already been detained in connection with the investigation.

Despite the police’s announcements, the prosecutor’s office is not obliged to continue prosecuting the people involved in this case or the charges brought against them.

The priest’s lawyer, Miguel Vidigal, told ACI Digital, CNA’s Portuguese-language news partner, that “the Federal Police’s press release containing the list of defendants constitutes another abuse by those responsible for the investigation and its publication on the police department’s official website pollutes the entire institution.”

“Who authorized the Federal Police to break the secrecy of the investigation? As far as we know, (Supreme Court) judge Alexandre de Moraes has ordered absolute secrecy,” the lawyer said.

“So far, there is no decision of his that invalidates such a decision,” he added.

“Less than seven days after giving his testimony to the Federal Police,” Father José Eduardo “sees his name printed (on a list) by the Federal Police as one of the people indicted by the investigators.” The same investigators did not hesitate to violate international law and treaties by reviewing the priest’s conversations and spiritual direction, which were guaranteed confidential, Vidigal condemned.

In February, the priest was the target of a raid and seizure by federal police, which was authorized by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The priest was accused of being part of the “legal core” of the alleged coup, which also investigated former President Bolsonaro, advisers, allies, military personnel and former ministers of his government.

This story was published for the first time by ACI Digital, CNA’s Portuguese-language news partner. It was translated and adapted by ACI Prensa/CNA.

Monasa Narjara has been a journalist for ACI Digital since 2022, and in 2014-2015 she was a journalist for the Archdiocese of Brasilia.