RIO DE JANEIRO — A Brazilian Supreme Court justice on Sunday unsealed an investigation into the production of a film about former President Jair Bolsonaro, citing suspicions that the movie’s financing was linked to a criminal network.
The allegations detailed in Justice Flávio Dino’s ruling could further complicate the situation for Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, just weeks before October’s national elections where he will face President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Senator Bolsonaro, the former president’s eldest son, faces investigation on charges of corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion stemming from his receipt of millions of dollars from a disgraced banker to fund the biopic about his father, titled “Dark Horse.”
Justice Dino, who was appointed by President Lula and is overseeing one of the probes into the film, said the hypothesis of a sophisticated scheme to allocate and divert public funds—using federal congressional budget amendments and the São Paulo city government—had grown stronger.
On Thursday, Brazil’s federal police executed an operation targeting Mário Frias, a federal lawmaker and Bolsonaro ally.
Agents confiscated documents from the film’s production company and from Frias, who transferred roughly 2 million reais (≈ $400,000) to a nonprofit associated with the project. Authorities suspect that a criminal organization funneled money to firms that were subcontracted irregularly, with no proof that the services were actually rendered.
The judge stated on Sunday that there are strong indications that Frias, who served in Bolsonaro’s cabinet, played a central role in the alleged criminal network.
Dino added that the network may also be connected to the First Command of the Capital (PCC). The group was designated a foreign terrorist organization by U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this year.
Frias maintains his innocence, posting on Sunday: “I never allocated any congressional budget funds to finance or benefit the production of the film in any way.” He had earlier called Thursday’s operation a “smoke screen.”
Brazil’s Supreme Court has been gripped by turmoil in recent weeks, with allegations of graft, political bias, and police interference surrounding several of its justices.
Justice Dino recently clashed with Justice André Mendonça, a Bolsonaro appointee. On Tuesday, Mendonça dismissed federal police Director‑General Andrei Rodrigues and the force’s intelligence chief, Leandro Almada, over allegations that they conducted illegal investigations targeting him.
The following day, Wednesday, Dino reversed his colleague’s decision and reinstated the two senior police officials. Chief Justice Edson Fachin later suspended both rulings.
The turmoil at the court stems from the collapse of Banco Master, a mid‑size institution with up to $16 billion in assets, which was shut down last November following a wide‑ranging investigation into a fraud scheme involving billions of reais.
Banco Master’s former CEO, Daniel Vorcaro, was arrested earlier this year. It has since been revealed that he maintained ties to numerous high‑ranking politicians—including Senator Bolsonaro—as well as several Supreme Court justices, among them Alexandre de Moraes, who presided over the case that sentenced Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup.
___
Also Read
- Pro-Palestine Demonstrators in Sydney Urge Government to Impose Sanctions on Israel
- Russian Drone Strikes Ukrainian Train Near Polish Border After Diplomatic Train Departs
- VOOG vs. VONG: Which Powerhouse Vanguard ETF Is the Stronger Choice for Investors?
- United States Claims Fifth Straight FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Title
