Brazil Supreme Court rift deepens as justices seek sanctions against each other
Two Brazilian Supreme Court justices are seeking sanctions against each other amid a bank fraud probe and election-year tensions.
Brazil's Supreme Court is facing a deepening institutional crisis as two of its most prominent justices have filed reciprocal requests for sanctions against one another, according to court filings and statements made this week.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who led the case that resulted in former President Jair Bolsonaro's imprisonment last year, and Justice Andre Mendonca, the court's first evangelical member appointed by Bolsonaro, are at the center of the dispute. The animosity stems from a sprawling federal investigation into financial fraud linked to the collapsed Banco Master and its owner, Daniel Vorcaro.
Mendonca has reportedly asked Chief Justice Luiz Edson Fachin to suspend de Moraes while the court considers whether he should be investigated in a potential graft case. De Moraes, in turn, has requested that Mendonca be investigated by the court and potentially impeached by the Senate for conducting an unauthorized proceeding.
The conflict escalated after Mendonca unsealed parts of the federal police investigation on Tuesday, revealing intercepted messages from Vorcaro that showed he frequently sought advice from de Moraes. The messages included pleas from the banker, such as one where he expressed gratitude and another where he asked de Moraes to block measures against Banco Master.
Further revelations indicated that de Moraes' wife provided legal services to Banco Master as part of a 130 million reais ($25 million) contract, intensifying pressure from politicians and media for de Moraes to resign. Presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, implicated in the scandal for receiving funds for a film about his father, has also called for de Moraes to step down.
Mendonca has faced scrutiny as well after Brazilian media reported he privately met with Vorcaro last year. He confirmed a more recent meeting this month, where he questioned the jailed banker without full court authorization or the presence of federal police or prosecutors. Mendonca said he acted because Vorcaro claimed mistreatment by police, an accusation dismissed by the attorney general.
Chief Justice Fachin has said he will seek clarifications from both justices, the attorney general, and the federal police director. Speaking at a ceremony with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Fachin emphasized that institutions must be preserved during moments of tension, vowing to act as the legal order requires.
The two justices did not speak during court sessions this week and are scheduled to meet again next week.