The Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) into Anti-Democratic Acts of the Legislative Chamber of the Federal District (CLDF) heard, this Thursday (31), two Bolsonaro supporters who were arrested for involvement in the coup acts. The first to be heard was chief José Acácio Serere Xavante, who has been imprisoned since December 12, 2022. The second was freelance professional Armando Valentin Settin Lopes de Andrade, arrested after participating in the acts of January 8.
The Xavante chief, who called himself an evangelical missionary pastor, also confirmed that he is a member of the Patriot Party and stated that his trip to Brasília was paid for with his own resources. Chief Serere, who is from Mato Grosso, said he traveled to Brasília to join the coup camp on his own.
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“No help, everyone paid the expense”, stated the Cacique, being questioned by the president of the CPI, Chico Vigilante (PT), about supposed help he had received from farmer Didi Pimenta, also from Mato Grosso, for the trip and for stay for more than a month in the capital. The deponent said he did not know Didi Pimenta, but the commission broadcast a video in which the farmer confirmed the proximity and financing of the trip.
“I was approached by my friend and chief Serere, who wanted to go to Brasília, to help with the demonstration. For ten days we have been able to send them there and help them. We have already sent, with the help of friends, about eight buses of Indians”, said Didi Pimenta in the video presented. The farmer also stated that he was sending a transfer via pix directly to Cacique Serere’s account and asked others to help in order to keep Bolsonaro in power.
Faced with the images, the president of the CPI, Chico Vigilante, confronted the deponent. “It has been proven here that you lied the entire time. This Pimenta knows you. This Pimenta is a farmer. And you said you didn’t know him”, stated the parliamentarian, highlighting that measures will be taken due to Cacique Serere having lied during the CPI.
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“Everything I said is true. He may even know me, but I don’t know him”, declared Serere after being contradicted with the video.
Deputy Fábio Félix (PSOL) also pointed out the contradiction in the testimony of Chief Serere’s speech and questioned the deponent about his motivations and how much he was influenced by the post-election coup speech.
“How did we end up in this coup chaos? Where people felt comfortable carrying out criminal actions, against the democratic rule of law”, highlighted the deputy, pointing out the part of the deponent’s speech in which he said he did not believe in the polls due to an ambiguous document produced by the Ministry of Defense in the Bolsonaro government.
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Terrorist planning
Self-employed Armando Valentin Settin Lopes was arrested in the act after participating in the events on January 8 and spent four months in prison. However, he was already being monitored by the police due to an anonymous tip that linked him with planning terrorist acts against power transmission stations in the Federal District.
In his testimony at the CLDF, Lopes denied such planning and said he attended the coup camp every day out of “anxiety” and “ideology”.
“I was worried about Brazil. I value the church, good customs. I was scared,” said Lopes.
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Armando Valentin Settin Lopes de Andrade was arrested in the act for participating in the events on January 8th / Credit: Eurico Eduardo / Agência CLDF
“There were people inciting. Giving ideas. Extremist people”, said the deponent, after being asked by deputy Fábio Félix if there were people inciting extreme acts such as setting cars and the Brasília power station on fire. However, the deponent said that these people were “left-wing” and was reprimanded by the deputy: “how did you know if these people were left-wing? You cannot be frivolous.”
“The deponent himself stated, in a statement to the police, that there were people inciting disorder, there were people inciting extreme and violent actions. They don’t prove it. They do not present any infiltrates. It’s cowardly talk”, highlighted Fábio Félix, adding that “they want to hide behind religiosity to carry out extreme and violent actions”.
At the end of the session, the president of the CPI, Chico Vigilante, informed that he will forward a request to the Civil Police asking that an investigation be opened to investigate the fact that Settin denied the statement he himself had given, so that the appropriate measures can be taken.
*With information from CLDF.
Source: BdF Distrito Federal
Editing: Flávia Quirino
