SAO PAULO — On Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice André Mendonça dismissed the head of Brazil’s Federal Police and its intelligence chief, escalating a crisis at the nation’s highest court and pulling President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration into the dispute ahead of October’s national elections.
Mendonça, a former President Jair Bolsonaro appointee, ruled that Federal Police Director‑General Andrei Rodrigues—nominated by President Lula—and intelligence director Leandro Almada allegedly coordinated the production of six illegal reports concerning the justice’s activities through the end of August.
Mendonça now oversees two highly sensitive investigations: one into the collapse of Banco Master, which has implicated several politicians, and another probing alleged fraud within Brazil’s pension system, raising concerns of misconduct by one of President Lula’s sons.
The Brazilian government has not yet responded to an Associated Press request regarding whether it will appeal the decision.
William Marcel Murad, the Federal Police’s executive director, stated that the director‑general enjoys the agency’s full confidence and that its personnel “will not be shaken by attacks.”
President Lula is seeking reelection in October, facing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the former president’s son, who is currently serving a 27‑year house arrest term for his alleged role in an attempted coup.
Mendonça’s move follows a heated dispute with Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who sentenced former President Bolsonaro to prison last year; last week, Mendonça unsealed police files indicating that Banco Master owner Daniel Vorcaro regularly consulted de Moraes for legal counsel before his arrest.
De Moraes had previously denied any impropriety linked to Vorcaro, despite his wife rendering legal services to Banco Master under a 130 million‑real ($25 million) contract. Following Mendonça’s release of the documents, de Moraes faces mounting pressure from politicians, media outlets, and legal scholars to step down, though he has not yet issued any public statement on the matter.
Brazilian media reported that Mendonça sought to suspend de Moraes from the bench pending a determination on whether he should face an investigation into alleged corruption. In response, de Moraes ordered that Mendonça himself be investigated by the court and recommended that the Senate consider impeachment for interviewing Vorcaro in August without the presence of police officers or prosecutors.
