Brazilian Lawmakers Seek Investigations into Institute Founded by STF Minister André Mendonça

Lawmakers from the PT and PSOL parties have filed representations with oversight bodies to investigate contracts signed without bidding between the public sector and Instituto Iter, an entity founded by Supreme Court (STF) Minister André Mendonça. The requests seek to examine the legality of these contracts and the economic beneficiaries of the funds received. One representation, filed by Deputy Lindbergh Farias to the Prosecutor General's Office, specifically requests the breach of bank and tax confidentiality for the institute, its partners, and directors.

The institute secured multiple contracts without bidding. Reports indicate agreements with the São Paulo state government for approximately 1.63 million reais and with the São Paulo city administration for about 380,000 reais. Additional reports state that the institute obtained at least 52 such contracts with various governments and courts, totaling 8.2 million reais over two years, including a 1.6 million reais contract with the Court of Justice of Amazonas.

Minister Mendonça recently announced his exit from the institute's partnership, stating he ceded his and his wife's shares without financial compensation. He indicated that the institution would become a non-profit and that he would remain only as a professor. However, lawmakers question whether this formal exit represents a complete economic rupture. One report also notes that Mendonça used the institute's headquarters for an unofficial meeting with banker Daniel Vorcaro on March 14, 2025, leaving the partnership one day after that meeting became public.

Framing of the event varies by political lean. A center-leaning source focuses on the specific legal requests for confidentiality breaches and the minister's defense that he is not being accused of a crime. A left-leaning source emphasizes the scale of the contracts and suggests that the minister's prestige at the STF may have been used to bypass bidding processes and inflate prices.