Moraes bars Valdemar’s visit to Bolsonaro after reopening of investigation

Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), rejected this Wednesday the request from the defense of former president Jair Bolsonaro to receive a visit from Valdemar Costa Neto, national president of the Liberal Party (PL), at his residence, where he is under house arrest. The decision comes one day after the First Panel of the STF ordered the reopening of the investigation against Valdemar for alleged participation in the 2022 coup d’état attempt.

Bolsonaro’s defense had requested authorization for a “direct dialogue” with the party leader on October 29, citing agenda issues. However, Moraes reiterated the precautionary measures imposed on the former president, which include the prohibition of contact with other defendants and those investigated in criminal actions related to the coup plot, including through third parties.

The request comes amid the resumption of investigations into Valdemar’s participation in the coup plot, which led to Bolsonaro’s sentence to 27 years and 3 months in prison. This Tuesday, during the “nucleus 4” trial, Moraes voted to reopen the investigation against him for an alleged attempt to violently abolish the Democratic Rule of Law and a criminal organization.

The judge justified his position based on the Code of Criminal Procedure and argued that, even with the closure of an investigation, later the “police authority may carry out new research, if it becomes aware of other evidence”. Valdemar had not been reported by the PGR.

With the new decision, the case will be analyzed again by the PGR, which may file a complaint or request new measures.

The former federal deputy became the target of the PF after the PL filed a lawsuit with the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) in which it requested the annulment of part of the votes in the 2022 elections. The investigation points out that the PL was used “to finance the support structure for narratives that alleged alleged fraud with electronic voting machines, in order to legitimize the demonstrations that took place in front of military installations”.