STF to Consider Investigation into Justice Alexandre de Moraes Over Bank Master Ties

The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) is set to analyze a Federal Police report that could lead to an unprecedented investigation into Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The case centers on messages found on the phone of Daniel Vorcaro, the owner of Banco Master, which suggest communication between the banker and the justice regarding a potential flight from Brazil before Vorcaro's arrest. The report was presented by Justice André Mendonça, who was appointed to the court by former President Jair Bolsonaro.

In a 44 page response to STF President Edson Fachin, Justice Moraes dismissed the report as a farce and characterized it as a revenge plot orchestrated by allies of those convicted in the coup attempt investigations. Moraes argued that there is no evidence of criminal activity and noted that he never judged any case involving Banco Master or Vorcaro. He also addressed a 131 million reais contract between the bank and the law firm of his wife, Viviane Barci de Moraes, stating that his interventions in the contract were solely to ensure there were no legal impediments.

Separate reports indicate that Federal Police delegates discussed the possibility of producing this report as early as March. According to these accounts, investigators felt pressure from superiors and feared becoming targets of the Fake News inquiry led by Moraes. They reportedly sent a backup copy of Vorcaro's phone data to Justice Mendonça's office to protect themselves. The final report was produced in August after Mendonça ordered the police to identify the people Vorcaro contacted regarding his plan to flee the country.

Center left coverage frames the situation as a politically motivated attack and a farce intended as revenge against Moraes. Center right coverage focuses on the internal pressures faced by Federal Police investigators and the procedural timeline of how the evidence reached Justice Mendonça.