Brazilian Supreme Court roiled by dispute between justices

Brazil’s Supreme Court has found itself at the centre of a corruption scandal roiling the country, with the body considering investigations into two justices who have accused each other of wrongdoing.

The dispute centres on Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the case that convicted former President Jair Bolsonaro, and Justice Andre Mendonca, a Bolsonaro appointee.

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Mendonca released a report this week showing alleged links between de Moraes and disgraced banker Daniel Vorcaro, accused of a wide-reaching fraud scheme.

De Moraes subsequently accused Mendonca of abusing his authority by unsealing the documents.

Chief Justice Edson Fachin said on Friday that he would give Brazil’s attorney general five days to weigh the allegations against Mendonca.

The court is also set to decide next week whether to investigate de Moraes.

“This may be the most dramatic moment in the history of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court,” said Felipe Recondo, a journalist and researcher who is a longtime observer of the court.

The right has pounced on the allegations against de Moraes to cast doubt on the case against Bolsonaro, who is currently under house arrest after receiving a 27-year prison sentence for his involvement in a coup plot.

Following his loss to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in 2022, prosecutors say Bolsonaro and his far-right allies sought to subvert the election results and derail the transition of power.

Post-election tensions culminated in an attack on key government buildings in the capital Brasilia on January 8, 2023, led by Bolsonaro supporters who allegedly hoped to trigger a military uprising.

In November 2024, Brazil’s federal police recommended charges be brought against Bolsonaro and a group of his key allies.

Bolsonaro, however, has portrayed the case as a “witch hunt” orchestrated by the left. He has received support from high-profile figures, including United States President Donald Trump.

De Moraes oversaw the Bolsonaro case, putting him at the centre of a political firestorm.

Trump’s Treasury Department briefly sanctioned De Moraes for his involvement in the Bolsonaro trial, as well as his suspensions of online platforms like Rumble and X, the latter run by Trump ally Elon Musk.

De Moraes was appointed to the Supreme Court under the presidency of Michel Temer, a centre-right politician, and he has since become a target for Brazil’s far-right, due to his involvement in sensitive cases, including Bolsonaro’s.

Experts like Recondo say the Supreme Court has served as a intermediary in some of Brazil’s most heated political fights.

“The Supreme Court can provide some balance in that game,” said Recondo. “Remove the court from that position, and all that remains is conflict. And that is a problem.”

The Vorcaro fraud scandal, however, threatens to tarnish the court’s reputation. This week’s unsealed documents suggest that the banker Vorcaro may have reached out to de Moraes for advice.

Politicians have called for de Moraes to clarify his relationship with the disgraced banker, with some calling for his resignation.

Candidates on both the right and left have both sought to portray each other as corrupt in the run-up to the country’s contentious presidential election on October 4.

That race will see the left-wing Lula face off against Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro.

The right-wing candidate has sought to capitalise on the scandal, painting it as a conspiracy between de Moraes and the political left to dismantle his father’s legacy.

“Out with Lula! Out with Moraes! This duo has no place left in leading the Country,” Senator Bolsonaro said in a recent social media post. “It’s time for change! Brazil will win!”

The younger Bolsonaro, however, has also been tarnished by his connections to Vorcaro.

Earlier this year, the US investigative news website The Intercept Brasil published messages reportedly between Flavio Bolsonaro and Vorcaro, whom the senator was petitioning for funding.

The funding was slated to go to a film about his father, Jair Bolsonaro. Vorcaro reportedly pledged millions of dollars to back the film project. Senator Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing, calling it a private project.

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