By Ricardo Brito
BRASILIA, Sept 15 (Reuters) – Brazil’s Supreme Court is set to hold an unprecedented hearing on Tuesday to decide whether to investigate one of its most powerful justices over allegations that he advised a banker accused of leading a multibillion-dollar fraud scheme, fueling a deepening crisis weeks before a hotly contested presidential election.
Justices will consider whether to open a probe into Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who rose to national prominence by leading investigations into a coup plot that resulted in the convictions of former President Jair Bolsonaro and several allies last year.
The case has also become a flashpoint in the election campaign, as right-wing candidate Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the former president’s son, seeks to tie Moraes to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for a fourth non-consecutive term.
Suspicions over Moraes grew when fellow Justice Andre Mendonca released a federal police report two weeks ago alleging that Daniel Vorcaro, the owner of failed lender Banco Master, sent several text messages to Moraes, including references to a possible escape plan.
According to court records, a law firm owned by Moraes’ wife had a $24 million consulting contract with Banco Master, which was liquidated by the central bank in November 2025. Vorcaro was jailed in March.
Moraes denies any wrongdoing and has accused Mendonca, who was appointed by former President Bolsonaro, of abusing his authority by disclosing the material. Chief Justice Edson Fachin has scheduled a separate hearing into those allegations for next week.
BOLSONARO UNDER INVESTIGATION
The Banco Master case has rattled Brazil for months, as a series of leaks revealed Vorcaro’s web of influence, embarrassing some of the nation’s top power brokers in an election year, including Senator Bolsonaro himself.
Last week, in an attempt to contain the crisis engulfing the court, Fachin ordered the unsealing of proceedings related to the case, only for Brazilians to learn that the right-wing presidential hopeful was also being investigated over alleged money laundering and corruption linked to the bank.
The younger Bolsonaro denied any wrongdoing and said that all dealings he had with Vorcaro were private and related to Vorcaro’s role in financing a film about his father.
While Tuesday’s hearing may shed light on some of the fallout from the Banco Master case within the court, people with knowledge of the thinking of justices on different sides of the debate told Reuters it is unlikely the court will make any immediate rulings as some justices are expected to raise objections that could delay the case.
(Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Writing by Gabriel Araujo; Editing by Manuela Andreoni and Aurora Ellis)
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