Members of the high court have exchanged accusations after one justice was accused of involvement in a bank scandal.
By AFP and The Associated Press
Published On 11 Sep 2026
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.
Cancellations are rare at the high court. On Thursday, Chief Justice Luiz Edson Fachin nixed a second consecutive session, calling for the court to reconvene on Tuesday instead.
The divisions emerged on September 1 when Justice Andre Mendonca unsealed a series of federal police documents that appeared to show disgraced banker Daniel Vorcaro seeking advice from Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
De Moraes, who has become prominent for presiding over the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro and for suspending platforms such as X and Rumble, accused Mendonca of abusing his authority for political gain and requested an investigation into whether Mendonca interviewed Vorcaro without police or prosecutors present.
Tuesday’s session will involve the full Supreme Court bench, with ten justices set to discuss whether the eleventh justice, de Moraes, should be investigated over the text messages allegedly linking him to Vorcaro.
The tit‑for‑tat on Brazil’s high court is the latest fallout from the Banco Master corruption scandal. Vorcaro, head of the Banco Master financial institution, was arrested in November 2025 on accusations he defrauded investors of billions in lost funds, leaving more than $7 bn in debt.
Lawmakers from across the political spectrum have become embroiled in the unfolding scandal as new details emerge, threatening to influence October’s general elections, including a pivotal presidential race between incumbent left‑wing President Lula Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Both Lula and Senator Bolsonaro have called for investigations into the Supreme Court justices. The Bolsonaro family itself has been drawn into the Banco Master scandal after Intercept Brasil reported in May that Senator Bolsonaro sought funds from Vorcaro to finance a film about his father’s life. Senator Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing.
Brazilian police executed dozens of raids on Thursday related to the Banco Master case, targeting individuals involved in the film production, including Karina Gama, head of a production company, and Congressman Mario Frias, who served as executive producer. Senator Bolsonaro described the probes as “attempted political interference” ahead of the elections.
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