WSJ defends release by Filipe Martins, former Bolsonaro advisor, and questions STF
The American newspaper The Wall Street Journal On Sunday (27) he published an editorial defending the release of Filipe Martins, former international advisor of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), currently in house arrest in Paraná for suspected participation in the attempted coup in 2022.
In the text, the WSJ It states that the Federal Supreme Court (STF) would be based on “false” records of the US Department of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to keep Martins detained as alleged risk of escape.
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“A Brazilian court has been using fake CBP records to stop Mr. Martins as a risk of escape since March 2024,” says the editorial.
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According to the newspaper, the evidence that supports pre -trial detention would be compromised. “Mr. Martins should be free while preparing his defense,” concludes the text.
Contested records
Martins was arrested preventively in February this year during Operation Tempus Veritatis, which investigates the organization and execution of an attempt to coup d’état to keep Jair Bolsonaro in power after the 2022 electoral defeat.
The former advisor is appointed by the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) as a member of the Legal Center of the coup plot, having acted in the drafting of minutes to decree state of siege and the application of GLO (guarantee of law and order). He denies the accusations.
The justification for pre -trial detention was based, among other points, in the alleged escape of the country. The Federal Police presented CBP records that would appoint its entry into the United States at the end of 2022, with the presidential entourage. Filipe Martins, however, has always denied having traveled with Bolsonaro, who boarded Florida on December 30 of that year.
This version was reinforced by testimonials to the Supreme Court, such as that of Ambassador André Chermont, former chief of the presidency ceremonial. Chermont stated that Martins even stated on the trip’s passenger list, but was later removed.
The former advisor’s defense also questions the authenticity of the records used by the PF, pointing out possible tampering or error of the US system.
Trump’s criticism of the STF
The editorial of Wall Street Journal It occurs amid the escalation of the institutional crisis between the Brazilian government and the United States, after President Donald Trump announces 50% tariffs on Brazilian products. In the official justification, Trump directly quoted Jair Bolsonaro’s trial in the Supreme Court, which was interpreted by the Lula administration as improper interference on internal issues.
According to the newspaper, “Trump might start better at home, with a transparent investigation into how fake Martins records were published on a CBP website, then disappeared and reappeared.” The text also suggests that ascertaining these flaws could help “innocent Martins from the accusation of illegally fleeing from your country.”
Martins remained in prison for six months and since July has been in prison in Ponta Grossa (PR). His defense claims that, in addition to the lack of evidence for the prosecution of escape, he never intended to abandon the country or obstruct the courts.
