Almir Garnier Santos (born 22 September 1960 in Rio de Janeiro)[1] is a Brazilian Admiral of the fleet, former Commander of the Brazilian Navy from 2021 to 2023.[2] Garnier has been accused by generals Mauro Cid and Carlos Baptista Júnior of plotting a coup with former president Jair Bolsonaro to overthrow Brazilian democracy in 2022,[3][4][5][6] and he is being formally investigated for his involvement since 2024[update].[7][8][9]
Almir Garnier Santos | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Commander of the Brazilian Navy | |
| In office 31 March 2021 – 5 January 2023 | |
| President | Jair Bolsonaro |
| Minister | Walter Braga Netto Paulo Sérgio Nogueira |
| Preceded by | Ilques Barbosa Junior |
| Succeeded by | Marcos Sampaio Olsen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 September 1960 Rio de Janeiro, Guanabara, Brazil |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Brazil |
| Branch/service |  Brazilian Navy |
| Years of service | 1978−present |
| Rank |  Admiral of the fleet |
| Awards |       |
Career
editGarnier was General-Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, the second highest office in the department. He concluded his studies at the Navy School in 1981, as the first in the Armada Corp.
As Lieutenant, he served the União and Independência frigates and the Escola Brasil ship. According to the Ministry, Garnier is Master in Operational Research and System Analysis at the Naval Postgraduate School, in the United States, MBA in International Management at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and course of Politics and Maritime Strategy at the Naval War School for two years.
Garnier commanded the tanker Almirante Gastão Motta, the Center for Support of Operational Systems, the Naval Systems Analysis Center, the Naval War School and the 2nd Naval District in Salvador, Bahia.[10]
Admiral Garnier worked in the Ministry of Defence from June 2014 to January 2017 as the ministry's special military advisor, advising former ministers Celso Amorim, Jaques Wagner, Aldo Rebelo and Raul Jungmann.[3]
As Admiral of the Fleet, he had served as Secretary-General of the Ministry of Defence during the administration of minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva, until 9 April 2021, when he assumed office as Commander of the Brazilian Navy.[10]
Investigation for coup plotting
editAccording to an accusation made by Mauro Cid, aide-de-camp of former president Jair Bolsonaro, Garnier Santos would have accepted to participate in a coup d'état to remove justices of the Superior Electoral Court and the Supreme Federal Court and overthrow the Brazilian democracy in 2022.[3] Former Brazilian Air Force commander Carlos Baptista Júnior also testified that Garnier told Bolsonaro he would put his troops at his disposal, and commented: "If the [ Army ] commander [ Freire Gomes ] had agreed, possibly, a coup d'etat attempt would have taken place."[4][5][6]
Garnier Santos was removed from office on January 5, 2023. On February 8, 2024, the Federal Police launched Operation Tempus Veritatis to investigate a criminal organization involved in the attempted coup d'état and the abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law, aiming to gain political advantage by keeping the then-president of the Republic in power. Garnier Santos was one of the 33 targets of search and seizure.[7][8][9]
Dates of rank
edit| Rank | Date |
|---|---|
 Midshipman
|
13 December 1981 |
 Second lieutenant
|
31 August 1982 |
 First lieutenant
|
31 August 1984 |
 Captain lieutenant
|
31 August 1987 |
 Corvette captain
|
31 August 1993 |
 Frigate captain
|
30 April 1999 |
 Captain of sea and war
|
25 December 2004 |
 Rear admiral
|
31 March 2010 |
 Vice admiral
|
31 March 2014 |
| Admiral of the fleet
|
25 November 2018 |
References
edit- ^ "Comando da Marinha - Almirante-de-Esquadra Almir Garnier Santos". DefesaNet (in Portuguese). 31 March 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ Nunes, Vicente (31 March 2021). "Almirante Garnier comandará a Marinha e o Brigadeiro Baptista Junior, a Aeronáutica". Correio Braziliense (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ a b c "Quem é Almir Garnier, que comandou a Marinha durante o governo Bolsonaro". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 22 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ a b Malleret, Constance (2024-03-15). "Bolsonaro laid out plan for Brazil coup after defeat by Lula, ex-commanders say". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
- ^ a b "Bolsonaro proposed Brazil coup plan after 2022 election loss: Court records". Al Jazeera. 2024-03-15. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
- ^ a b El Damanhoury, Kareem; Vargas Jones, Julia (2024-03-16). "Brazil's ex-president Bolsonaro presented coup plot to top military leaders, court documents allege". CNN. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
- ^ a b "Polícia Federal apura tentativa de golpe de Estado e abolição do Estado Democrático de Direito". Polícia Federal (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-02-08.
- ^ a b Lopes, Léo. "Saiba quem é Almir Garnier, comandante da Marinha no governo Bolsonaro que teria aceitado dar golpe". CNN Brasil. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
- ^ a b "Moraes manda Bolsonaro entregar passaporte em investigação sobre tentativa de golpe para mantê-lo no poder". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2024-02-08. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
- ^ a b Melo, Karine (9 April 2021). "Almirante Almir Garnier assume o comando da Marinha". Agência Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  | This biographical article related to the military of Brazil is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |