- Brazil’s Supreme Court has cancelled a second straight day of deliberations as suspicions of corruption, political bias and police interference loom over several of its members. On Thursday, Chief Justice Luiz Edson Fachin nixed a second consecutive session, calling for the court to reconvene on Tuesday instead.
- Brazilian police executed dozens of raids related to the Banco Master scandal, including some that targeted two figures involved in the film: Karina Gama, the head of a production company, and Congressman Mario Frias, who served as executive producer.
- Tuesday’s session will involve the full Supreme Court bench, and 10 of the justices will discuss whether the 11th member, de Moraes, should be investigated over the text messages.
- The divisions emerged on September 1, when one justice, Andre Mendonca, unsealed a series of federal police documents that appeared to show a disgraced banker, Daniel Vorcaro, seeking advice from another justice, Alexandre de Moraes.
- Vorcaro, the head of the Banco Master financial institution, was arrested in November 2025 on accusations he defrauded investors of billions in lost funds, in one of the biggest banking scandals in the country’s history. The collapse of Banco Master’s private banking arm left behind more than $7bn in debt.
- Both Lula and Senator Bolsonaro have called for investigations into the Supreme Court justices. In May, the publication Intercept Brasil released a report showing that Senator Bolsonaro petitioned Vorcaro for funds to finance a film about his ex-president father, who is now serving a 27-year prison sentence.
Brazil's Supreme Court has faced turmoil as it canceled sessions for two consecutive days due to corruption allegations tied to the Banco Master scandal. Chief Justice Luiz Edson Fachin postponed deliberations, with the court set to reconvene on Tuesday to discuss potential investigations into Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
The scandal erupted after Justice Andre Mendonca unsealed documents revealing communications between disgraced banker Daniel Vorcaro and de Moraes, raising questions about political bias and police interference. Vorcaro, arrested in November 2025, is accused of defrauding investors of over $7 billion in one of Brazil's largest banking scandals.67
Both Lula and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro have called for investigations into the justices, with Bolsonaro alleging that the probes are politically motivated. Brazilian police have conducted raids related to the scandal, targeting figures involved in a film project linked to Vorcaro. The fallout from this scandal is reshaping the presidential race, with Flavio Bolsonaro closing in on Lula as tensions rise within the Supreme Court.389
“Attempted political interference” is how Senator Bolsonaro described the ongoing investigations, highlighting the charged atmosphere as Brazil approaches elections.
“Chief Justice Luiz Edson Fachin postponed deliberations to Tuesday, when the full bench will weigh investigating Justice Alexandre de Moraes over roughly 30 text messages. Police raids on Thursday targeted film figures Karina Gama and Congressman Mario Frias, with Senator Bolsonaro calling the probes 'attempted political interference.'”
