SAO PAULO — SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s Supreme Court entered a deeper institutional crisis on Friday, as two prominent justices have each requested severe sanctions against the other.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, 57, rose to prominence after overseeing the case that led to former President Jair Bolsonaro’s imprisonment last year for alleged coup attempts. His colleague, Andre Mendonça, 53, is the court’s first evangelical member, appointed by President Bolsonaro.
Their discord originates from a wide‑ranging federal probe into the financial fraud that led to the collapse of Banco Master and its disgraced owner, Daniel Vorcaro, a matter that has also implicated several politicians ahead of October’s elections.
Mendonça has asked that de Moraes be suspended while the court determines whether to investigate him for alleged graft. De Moraes, in turn, seeks an investigation of Mendonça by the court and a possible Senate impeachment for conducting an unauthorized inquiry into him.
The two justices sit side by side on the bench, which is arranged according to the order of their appointments.
On Tuesday, Mendonça unsealed a portion of the federal police investigation, revealing dozens of intercepted messages in which Vorcaro repeatedly sought advice from de Moraes.
These disclosures heightened suspicions of de Moraes after investigators discovered that his wife had provided legal services to Banco Master under a 130 million‑real ($25 million) contract. The revelations have prompted intense pressure on de Moraes from politicians, the press, and legal scholars to step down.
In one message, Vorcaro wrote, “I am grateful to you for my life.” In another, he appealed, “For the love of God, see if you can block all these evil measures against Banco Master.”
Presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, who is also entangled in the Banco Master scandal for allegedly receiving $21 million to finance a film about his father, has publicly urged the Supreme Court justice to vacate his seat.
On Wednesday, Brazilian media reported that Mendonça had privately met with Vorcaro the previous year. The judge said his remarks were part of a routine dialogue with other Supreme Court members concerning the same issue.
Mendonça confirmed on Thursday that he had indeed held a more recent meeting with Vorcaro. Earlier this month, he questioned the jailed banker without prior authorization from the full court, as required to investigate a fellow justice, and without any federal police or prosecutors present.
He explained that his inquiry was prompted by Vorcaro’s claim of police mistreatment, an allegation the attorney general has already dismissed.
Late Thursday, de Moraes acted swiftly, requesting Chief Justice Luiz Edson Fachin to investigate his colleague’s conduct, characterizing it as politically motivated and alleging that Mendonça had committed an impeachable offense by interviewing Vorcaro under secretive conditions.
Brazil’s Senate, which holds the authority to impeach Supreme Court justices, has received dozens of impeachment requests against de Moraes, while only a handful have been filed against Mendonça so far.
Brazilian media reported on Friday that Mendonça also requested Fachin to suspend de Moraes from the court amid the recent revelations.
Chief Justice Fachin said on Friday that he will seek clarifications from Mendonça, de Moraes, Attorney General Paulo Gonet—who also appears in Vorcaro’s messages—and federal police director Andrei Rodrigues.
De Moraes and Mendonça did not speak during the Supreme Court sessions on Wednesday and Thursday. They are scheduled to meet again next week.
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