Brazil Top Court Justice Ousts Federal Police Chief, Escalating Crisis

Brazil's Supreme Court is in turmoil after Justice André Mendonca on Tuesday removed the head of the federal police and the force's intelligence director from their posts. The decision deepens a crisis at the court and pulls President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government into the fray just weeks before national elections in October.

Mendonca, appointed by former President Jair Bolsonaro, ruled that Federal Police Director-General Andrei Rodrigues and intelligence director Leandro Almada oversaw an organization that allegedly produced six illegal reports on the justice's activities through the end of August. Rodrigues was nominated by Lula.

Mendonca currently presides over two politically sensitive investigations: one into the collapse of Banco Master, which has implicated several politicians, and another into alleged fraud in Brazil's pension system. The first has largely targeted opposition figures, while the second has raised questions about possible wrongdoing by one of Lula's sons.

The government has not yet said whether it will appeal. In a statement, the federal police's executive director, William Marcel Murad, expressed full confidence in the director-general and said agents "will not be shaken by attacks."

The move comes amid a bitter clash between Mendonca and fellow Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who sentenced Bolsonaro to prison last year. Last week, Mendonca unsealed police documents showing that Banco Master owner Daniel Vorcaro frequently sought de Moraes' legal advice before his arrest. De Moraes has denied wrongdoing, though his wife provided legal services to Banco Master under a 130 million reais ($25 million) contract.

Since the documents were unsealed, de Moraes has faced mounting pressure from politicians, media, and legal experts to resign. He has not commented publicly. Reports say Mendonca has sought de Moraes' suspension from the court pending an investigation into potential graft. In response, de Moraes has called for Mendonca to be investigated and potentially impeached by the Senate over his handling of the Vorcaro interview.

On Monday, Brazil's Independence Day, tens of thousands of supporters of opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro gathered in Sao Paulo, many calling for de Moraes' removal. Demonstrators carried a giant inflatable figure of Mendonca and wore shirts supporting the justice.