Sao Paulo (AFP) – Brazil’s Supreme Court has been drawn into another scandal following revelations about its judges’ relations with a notorious banker charged with financial crimes. That businessman, Daniel Vorcaro, forged contacts with a sprawling network of politicians of every stripe, top judges, and high-ranking officials before landing in jail for one of Brazil’s biggest-ever financial scandals. Vorcaro told police he had “friends in all branches of government” upon his arrest last year. The 42-year-old was charged with fraud after authorities liquidated his private bank Banco Master, which left debts worth over $7 billion in its trail.
Beyond his exploits in Sao Paulo’s financial hub Faria Lima, high-flying Vorcaro invested in real estate, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and even soccer. Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for re-election in October, has admitted to meeting with the figure at the heart of this scandal. Lula’s right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former president and convicted coup-plotter Jair Bolsonaro, meanwhile asked the banker to finance a film about his jailed father.
This week, the publication of messages Vorcaro sent to top Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes has unleashed a fresh crisis in Brazil’s top court, just ahead of the presidential elections.
– Asking for advice –
Vorcaro was arrested last November as he boarded a private jet in Sao Paulo, but was later released on bail. In the days leading up to his detention, he sent around 30 text messages to a phone number attributed to Moraes. The judge oversaw the trial of ex-president Bolsonaro and is a powerful and polarizing figure in Brazil. “Do you think I need to be out of the country as early as Monday?” the banker asked on November 15 in one of those texts. He also apparently asked the judge to help halt the probe that would lead to his arrest and even set up meetings, the police report seen by AFP reveals. The report does not disclose how Moraes answered. Its findings have added to the Supreme Court’s growing list of Vorcaro-related problems given that one justice has already been tainted by association with the banker. Judge Jose Dias Toffoli was removed from Banco Master proceedings when it emerged that Vorcaro’s brother-in-law had purchased part of a resort in 2021 from the judge’s brothers.
– Across the political divide –
Lula has admitted that he and Vorcaro held an off-the-record meeting in December 2024. And Senator Jaques Wagner, a Lula ally, is under investigation for allegedly receiving $1 million in cash and benefits including a luxury apartment to defend Master Banco in Congress. Wagner has stepped down as the government’s chief senator while maintaining his innocence.
Vorcaro does not appear to mind whether his alleged associates are on the left or right of politics, however. He allegedly transferred around $12 million dollars to current conservative presidential candidate Bolsonaro at his request, investigative journalism outlet Intercept Brasil reported. Bolsonaro acknowledged his contacts with the banker regarding the financing of a film about his jailed father, titled “Dark Horse,” but denies any wrongdoing. Vorcaro is also reportedly in touch with lawmakers from Bolsonaro’s political party, including Congressman Nikolas Ferreira. In a message leaked to the press, Vorcaro says he paid for flights for Ferreira, who admitted having contacts with him but denied that the pair were close.
As for the Supreme Court, Lula said “everyone” must be investigated, “no matter who it hurts.”
© 2024 AFP
