Walter Braga Netto
Walter Braga Netto | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 30 March 2021 – 1 April 2022 | |
| President | Jair Bolsonaro |
| Preceded by | Fernando Azevedo e Silva |
| Succeeded by | Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira |
| Chief of Staff of the Presidency | |
| In office 18 February 2020 – 29 March 2021 | |
| President | Jair Bolsonaro |
| Preceded by | Onyx Lorenzoni |
| Succeeded by | Luiz Eduardo Ramos |
| Chief of the Brazilian Army General Staff | |
| In office 29 March 2019 – 18 February 2020 | |
| President | Jair Bolsonaro |
| Preceded by | Paulo Humberto Cesar de Oliveira |
| Succeeded by | Marcos Antonio Amaro dos Santos |
| Eastern Military Commander | |
| In office 23 September 2016 – 26 April 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Fernando Azevedo e Silva |
| Succeeded by | Júlio Cesar de Arruda |
| Federal intervenor in Rio de Janeiro | |
| In office 18 February 2018 – 31 December 2018 | |
| President | Michel Temer |
| Governor | Luiz Fernando Pezão Francisco Dornelles (interim) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 March 1957 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil |
| Party | PL (since 2022) |
| Alma mater | Agulhas Negras Military Academy |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Brazil |
| Branch/service | Brazilian Army |
| Years of service | 1975–2020 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands |
|
| Criminal information | |
| Criminal status | In prison |
| Convictions |
|
| Trial | Trial for the 2022–2023 Brazilian coup plot (8 – 11 September 2025) |
| Criminal penalty | 26 years in prison |
Date apprehended | 14 December 2024 |
| Imprisoned at | 1st Army Division Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
Walter Souza Braga Netto (born 11 March 1957) is a retired Brazilian army general and former Minister of Defence. Braga was Commander of the Eastern Military Command and, until 31 December 2018, Federal Interventor in the Public Security of the state of Rio de Janeiro. He unsuccessfully ran for Vice President of Brazil as running mate of Jair Bolsonaro in 2022, narrowly losing to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Geraldo Alckmin.
On 19 November 2024, a Federal Police investigation came to light implicating Braga Netto and other former members of the Bolsonaro administration in a suspected coup plot. The plan allegedly included the assassination of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Geraldo Alckmin, and Alexandre de Moraes, who were, at the time, the president-elect, vice president-elect, and president of the Superior Electoral Court, respectively. On 21 November 2024, Braga Netto was formally indicted by the Federal Police. On 14 December 2024, he was arrested by Federal Police for allegedly hindering investigations.