Retired general Mario Fernandes, a member of the General Secretariat of the Presidency during Jair Bolsonaro’s term, confessed on Thursday, July 24, in testimony to the Supreme Federal Court (STF) that he is the author of the document that proposed the assassination of President Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and Minister Alexandre de Moraes.

Fernandes has been in prison since November 2024 for being one of the so-called “boys in black”, a group of military personnel who, under the command of General Walter Braga Netto, allegedly played a prominent role during the attempted coup d’état on January 8.

“I confirm. This digital file is nothing more than a thought of mine that was digitized – a compilation of data, a situation analysis, a risk analysis that I did and, out of habit, decided to digitize,” Fernandes said.

The file he refers to is a document called “Punhal Verde e Amarelo” (Green and Yellow Dagger), which outlined a plan to assassinate members of the executive and judicial branches.

The general, however, tried to defend himself by claiming that the document “was not presented to anyone”. According to him, the plan was printed out because of his “habit of reading off screens”. “I printed it for myself. Soon after, I tore it up.”

The military officer was also questioned about why he printed three copies on one of the printers at the Planalto Palace and, 40 minutes later, went to the Alvorada Palace, then Bolsonaro’s official residence.

Fernandes then blamed the printer, attributing the number of copies to the device’s configuration, and claimed it was a coincidence that he went to Alvorada following the events.

Fernandes’ interrogation is part of one of the final stages of the criminal proceedings against those suspected of attempting a coup in Brazil on January 8. The trial could decide the conviction or acquittal of those accused of being part of the so-called “Núcleo 2” (Group 2), of which Fernandes is a member. The outcome is not expected until the second half of the year.

The complaint filed by the Attorney General’s Office about the coup plot was divided into four groups. Group 1, made up of former president Jair Bolsonaro and seven other defendants, was questioned last month. This part of the case is in the final phase, with closing arguments, and is expected to be tried in September.

First published in Brasil de Fato in Portuguese.

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