Brazil: Priest accused of being involved in alleged assassination attempt on Lula da Silva

On November 21, the Federal Police of Brazil charged Father José Eduardo de Oliveira e Silva, of the Diocese of Osasco, São Paulo, as part of a group of 37 people that includes former president Jair Bolsonaro, on suspicion of violent abolition of the Democratic State of Law, coup d’état and criminal organization. According to the authorities, the publication of the list of accused in the final report of the investigations into the alleged coup d’état in Brazil was authorized by the Supreme Federal Court.

The accusation arises from the investigation by the Federal Police into an alleged plan to assassinate the then elected president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; its vice president, Geraldo Alckmin, and the minister of the Supreme Federal Court, Alexandre de Moraes. There are already military personnel and military police detained for this investigation.

The accusation is a police procedure and has no legal significance. At the end of an investigation, the police may present evidence of a crime against one or more people to the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP). The Public Ministry is not obliged to accept either the people or the crimes that the police accuse.

The priest’s defense lawyer, Miguel Vidigal, told ACI Digital that “the note from the Federal Police with the list of accused is yet another abuse carried out by those responsible for the investigation and, having published it on the agency’s official website police, contaminates the entire institution and makes it responsible for non-compliance with the minister’s determination.”

“Who authorized the Federal Police to break the secrecy of the investigations? As far as is known, Minister Alexandre de Moraes decreed absolute secrecy,” said the lawyer. “So far there is no decision by the magistrate that breaks such determination.”

“Less than seven days after giving testimony to the Federal Police,” Father José Eduardo “sees his name stamped by the Federal Police as one of those accused by investigators.” The same investigators did not shy away from violating the law and international treaties by investigating conversations and spiritual directions that are guaranteed confidentiality and were conducted by the priest, Vidigal said.

In February, the priest was the subject of a search and seizure in an operation by the Federal Police, authorized by the minister of the Supreme Federal Court, Alexandre de Moraes. He was accused of being part of the “legal core” of the alleged coup d’état, about which former president Jair Bolsonaro, advisors, allies, soldiers and former ministers of his government were also investigated.

Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in ACI Digital.