Brazilian Federal Police Summon Central Bank Officials and Banker as Witnesses in Master Bank Inquiry

The Brazilian Federal Police have summoned the current president of the Central Bank, Gabriel Galípolo, and former president Roberto Campos Neto to testify as witnesses in an investigation regarding the supervision of Banco Master. The inquiry also includes summons for Ailton de Aquino, the current director of supervision at the Central Bank, and André Esteves, the president of BTG Pactual. The investigation focuses on the relationship between businessman Daniel Vorcaro and former Central Bank employees who are suspected of receiving undue advantages and acting in favor of Banco Master. Two former employees, Belline Santana and Paulo Sérgio Neves de Souza, are accused of leaking supervision information to Vorcaro, though their defense denies any favoritism.

Legal representatives for Roberto Campos Neto stated that he has not been formally summoned and expressed regret that the information was leaked to the press. BTG Pactual declined to comment on the matter. According to testimony from Paulo Sérgio Neves, BTG Pactual discovered a 32 billion reais fraud at Banco Master in November 2024, and Campos Neto participated in a meeting regarding this discovery. Ailton de Aquino testified that BTG Pactual requested a comfort letter in October 2025 to purchase assets from Banco Master to avoid the operation being questioned as fraud during liquidation.

Separately, Flávio Werneck, a director from the National Federation of Federal Police Officers, has called for the total removal of secrecy surrounding the Banco Master and INSS investigations. Werneck criticized Minister André Mendonça for alleged undue interference in the Federal Police, specifically regarding the temporary removal of Director General Andrei Rodrigues, a decision that was later suspended by STF President Edson Fachin.