Brazil’s top court meets as justices trade graft allegations
Brazil’s Supreme Court convened Tuesday amid an unprecedented crisis in which justices have traded accusations of graft, political bias and police interference ahead of the country’s October presidential election. The turmoil stems from the collapse of Banco Master, a mid-sized bank with up to $16 billion in assets that was shut down last November after an investigation into a fraud scheme involving billions of reais.
Several top politicians and members of the judiciary were linked to the case. Justice Andre Mendonca, an appointee of former president Jair Bolsonaro, was in charge of the case at the Supreme Court.
Banco Master’s former head Daniel Vorcaro was arrested earlier this year. According to documents related to the ongoing investigation, Vorcaro had business dealings with several high-ranking politicians, including Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro. Justice Alexandre de Moraes, a rival of Mendonca, provided legal advice to Vorcaro, and de Moraes’ wife had a 130 million reais ($23 million) contract to provide legal services to Banco Master.
Investigations into Flávio Bolsonaro’s relationship with Vorcaro and the banker’s $12 million in payments for a movie on his father’s life have been slower. Sen. Bolsonaro has admitted receiving the payment but denied allegations of wrongdoing.
Some members of the court have accused Mendonca of selectively releasing parts of the case and slow-walking the release of parts of the investigation that relate to Sen. Bolsonaro to coincide with the upcoming elections. Mendonca denies the accusations of bias.
Multiple Brazilian media outlets have reported that Mendonca wants de Moraes suspended while the court decides whether de Moraes should be investigated for graft. De Moraes has filed a request to have Mendonca investigated by the court and potentially impeached by the Senate.
Next month, incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is expected to face off with Sen. Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, in an election expected to be close.
Brazil’s next president will appoint at least four new Supreme Court justices, who can serve until they are 75 years old. Some Senate candidates allied with Flávio Bolsonaro have promised to push to impeach members of the court, while Lula allies are considering term limits.
De Moraes is a hero for many Lula supporters for overseeing the case that led to the conviction of ex-President Bolsonaro for attempting a coup after his 2022 defeat. He also used his dual role as a high court judge and head of Brazil’s electoral court to fight disinformation and protect the integrity of the electoral process ahead of the 2022 vote.
A Bolsonaro appointee, Justice Kassio Nunes Marques, currently chairs Brazil’s top electoral court.
At a rally that drew nearly 30,000 people in Sao Paulo for Brazil’s Independence Day on Sept. 7, Sen. Bolsonaro directly linked Lula to de Moraes.
“Whoever votes for Lula votes for Alexandre de Moraes,” Sen. Bolsonaro said, vowing to reshape the court if elected.
“Because it’s an extremely polarized campaign, all that is negative for de Moraes is, immediately, positive for the Bolsonaro family,” said independent political consultant Thomas Traumann, noting that the crisis at the Supreme Court has become a central issue in the presidential campaign.
When the court met Tuesday, it was expected to discuss whether de Moraes should be investigated. Chief Justice Luiz Edson Fachin has removed Mendonca from overseeing the Banco Master investigations. Fachin also ordered the unsealing of all documents related to the case at the Supreme Court, which were made available on Friday.
