Alexandre de Moraes is facing mounting demands to resign after police documents linked him to banker Daniel Vorcaro. The revelations have deepened scrutiny of Brazil’s Supreme Court ahead of the October elections.
Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes, who sentenced former president Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for a coup attempt, is facing growing calls to resign over alleged links to disgraced banker Daniel Vorcaro. The pressure mounted on Wednesday after federal police documents, made public by Supreme Court judge Andr Mendona, suggested Vorcaro repeatedly sought advice from a person authorities identified as de Moraes.
The disclosures have triggered scrutiny from politicians, government ministers, newspapers and legal experts, while also drawing the Supreme Court into fresh controversy ahead of Brazil’s October elections. De Moraes has not commented on the findings so far, and current government ministers have largely stayed silent.
According to the documents, investigators believe Vorcaro acted on different occasions based on advice from de Moraes. The banker also thanked the judge in replies to messages police could not read, and referred to the alleged conversations in other exchanges with friends.
The 10 members of the Supreme Court met in Brasilia on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the revelations emerged, but none addressed the matter during the session. De Moraes sat, as usual, next to Mendona, who unsealed the documents, and the two did not speak during proceedings that dealt with other cases.
Outside the court, however, criticism intensified. Folha de S. Paulo said on Wednesday, “As long as the justice remains on the bench, dishonour and discredit will continue to pile up on the court. The most dignified and swift course would be for the justice to resign. That would spare the country’s institutions unnecessary and prolonged damage,” and added that the Senate should impeach him if he does not step down.
The allegations, which led to Banco Master’s closure and Vorcaro being jailed while he awaits trial, have also drawn several politicians into scrutiny before the elections. Among them are opposition candidate Sen Flvio Bolsonaro and a long-time ally of President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva. Lula has not commented on the case. Sen Bolsonaro, who acknowledged receiving at least USD 12 million from Vorcaro to sponsor a film on his father’s life, said de Moraes “committed several crimes.” He added during a campaign event in Rio Grande do Sul, “It is not acceptable, with all that has been revealed, that he continues to be a Supreme Court justice.” Other candidates have also said they want de Moraes to leave the court.
The documents unsealed by Mendona also showed de Moraes reviewed a contract, already in the public domain, between Vorcaro and the judge’s wife, Viviane Barci de Moraes, worth 130 million Brazilian reais, or about USD 26 million. Lawyers for de Moraes’ wife said on Tuesday that he checked the document to ensure there was no conflict of interest with his position. They added that de Moraes never ruled on cases involving Banco Master or Vorcaro.
Carlos Fvaro, a former agriculture minister under Lula who is often seen as a voice for the business sector, said on social media that de Moraes has two options: clarify what happened or resign. Any formal investigation into the judge would require a vote by Brazil’s Supreme Court, with decisions on the matter resting with Mendona, who is handling the case, and Chief Justice Luiz Edson Fachin. Before the court’s afternoon session, Fachin said he would announce the next steps in the coming days after analysing the facts and following due procedure. “In moments of particular gravity, it is everyone’s duty to preserve the integrity of the Supreme Court, the authority of its decisions, respect for its rules and, above all, society’s trust in the institution,” he said. The case has now put de Moraes, the Supreme Court and Brazil’s political class under sharper scrutiny as the country moves towards the October elections.
With PTI Inputs
