His departure took the Brazilian political world by surprise: after only three months and eighteen days in his post, General Marco Edson Gonçalves Dias, Minister-Chief of the Institutional Security Cabinet (GSI), abruptly resigned on Wednesday April 19. . He is the first member of the government to leave his post during this third term of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The General’s resignation was inevitable. It follows the broadcast, the same day, of damning images by the CNN Brasil channel, filmed by surveillance cameras during the riots of January 8, which resulted in the ransacking of the institutions of Brasilia by thousands of activists from extreme right favorable to the former president, Jair Bolsonaro.
On the recordings, Gonçalves Dias can be seen walking quietly through the corridors of the Planalto presidential palace, even as protesters devastate the building. In civilian clothes, without an escort, the general tries to open a few doors before entering his office. Other footage appears to show him signaling the exit to some of the rioters. The attitude, in the same series, of videos of the GSI officials placed under his orders is even more disturbing: indifferent to the destruction in progress, the latter seem to guide the putschists through the places and go so far as to supply them with water.
A heartbreak for Lula
The set caused an uproar. In Brazil, the minister in charge of GSI has offices within the Planalto itself, and vast prerogatives affecting, in particular, the aerospace field, the security of computer systems, or nuclear. Traditionally, he also supervises the National Intelligence Agency (ABIN), and ensures the security of the Head of State as well as that of his workplaces.
For weeks, the general will have tried everything to stay in his post, refusing to provide the presidency with images from surveillance cameras, “broken”, according to him… The broadcast of the videos by CNN Brasil sealed his fate. This outcome is heartbreaking for Lula: Gonçalves Dias, nicknamed “GDias”, 73 years old, shaved head and warm smile, is a close friend of the Head of State, whose protection he ensured during his first two terms. (2003-2011).
The departure of the senior officer leaves a series of questions unanswered: who leaked the recordings? What was the Minister doing in the middle of the riot? Did its officials facilitate the entry of the putschists? Judge Alexandre de Moraes, member of the Federal Supreme Court and head of electoral justice, called the videos “severe” and ordered the police to question Gonçalves Dias within 48 hours.
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