Law & Justice
Brazil Supreme Court chief suspends rival judges' orders
Brazil's Supreme Court president Edson Fachin suspended rival rulings by two justices on Wednesday, stepping into a dispute over federal police chief Andrei Rodrigues that has deepened a crisis at the country's top court.
A ruling seen by AFP said Fachin suspended both Justice Andre Mendonca's order removing Rodrigues and Justice Flavio Dino's later order reinstating him. Fachin gave Rodrigues 48 hours to provide information before deciding his fate.
Mendonca had suspended Rodrigues on Tuesday after accusing the federal police of spying on him. Dino, a former minister under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, reinstated the head of the federal police a day later.
The dispute grew from the publication last week of text messages from banker Daniel Vorcaro to Justice Alexandre de Moraes, asking for information about the case against him. Vorcaro has been charged with fraud after the collapse of his private bank, Banco Master, in a multi-billion-dollar pool of debt.
Moraes accused Mendonca of abuse of power on the basis of confidential police intelligence reports. Mendonca then suspended Rodrigues, before Dino overturned the order and Fachin suspended both decisions.
The court crisis has spilled into the run-up to next month's presidential election, in which Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro, is trying to unseat Lula. Lula said Wednesday that the Master case needed greater transparency and called for the full lifting of secrecy over investigations into everyone involved.
Flavio Bolsonaro has criticised Moraes over the Vorcaro texts. His own links to Vorcaro have also been questioned after the banker transferred millions of dollars to an intermediary at the senator's request. Flavio Bolsonaro said the money was intended for a film about his father.
Some 3,000 business organizations released a manifesto on Wednesday warning of an extremely serious institutional crisis and saying doubts over judges' legitimacy could undermine legal certainty, trust in institutions and social peace.
Update
Brazil Supreme Court president Edson Fachin suspended both the ruling that removed federal police chief Andrei Rodrigues and the later ruling that reinstated him.
Fachin gave Rodrigues 48 hours to provide information before deciding his fate.
Source note: AFP news report published on 9 September 2026 at 22:15:28 UTC.
Update
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called for greater transparency in the Master case and an end to selective leaks affecting the election race.
Some 3,000 business organizations released a manifesto warning of an extremely serious institutional crisis around the Supreme Court.
Flavio Bolsonaro accused Flavio Dino of trying to interfere in the judicial process.
The item adds details on Daniel Vorcaro's messages before his arrest and on questioned transfers linked to Flavio Bolsonaro, who said the money was intended for a film about his father.
Source note: AFP news report published on 9 September 2026 at 17:16:08 UTC.
Update
Supreme Court Justice Flavio Dino ordered federal police director-general Andrei Rodrigues to return to his duties on Wednesday.
Dino overturned Justice Andre Mendonca's Tuesday decision suspending Rodrigues.
Source note: AFP news report published on 9 September 2026 at 12:46:40 UTC.
Update
The Office of the Attorney General of the Union filed an appeal asking the Supreme Court to overturn Andrei Rodrigues's suspension.
The AGU said Rodrigues's abrupt removal compromises judicial police activities and risks institutional disorganization.
Supreme Court president Edson Fachin gave Andre Mendonca three days to respond to the AGU filing.
Source note: AFP news report published on 9 September 2026 at 03:19:28 UTC.
Update
A government source said Brazil's public legal defense body was expected to appeal the ruling.
Acting police chief William Murad reaffirmed the institution's full confidence in suspended director-general Andrei Rodrigues.
Eleven police division chiefs offered to resign over the suspension, according to a letter seen by AFP.
Flavio Bolsonaro welcomed the ruling in a post on X.
Marco Aurelio de Carvalho, legal coordinator of Lula's campaign, said Brazil was in an unprecedented institutional crisis.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 20:43:51 UTC.
Update
Supreme Court Justice Andre Mendonca ordered the preventive suspension of federal police director-general Andrei Rodrigues.
Mendonca also ordered the preventive suspension of federal police intelligence chief Leandro Almada da Costa.
Mendonca accused the federal police of illegally spying on his actions as a judge through secret intelligence reports.
The suspensions take immediate effect but must be ratified by the rest of the Supreme Court to stand.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 17:26:25 UTC.
Update
A police report seen by AFP says Daniel Vorcaro sent about 30 text messages to a phone number attributed to Justice Alexandre de Moraes before his arrest.
The report says Vorcaro asked whether he needed to leave Brazil and apparently asked Moraes to help halt the probe and arrange meetings; it does not show Moraes's responses.
Justice Jose Dias Toffoli was removed from Banco Master proceedings after a transaction involving Vorcaro's brother-in-law and Toffoli's brothers emerged.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has admitted holding an off-the-record meeting with Vorcaro in December 2024.
Senator Jaques Wagner is under investigation over allegations involving cash and benefits linked to Banco Master and has stepped down as the government's chief senator while denying wrongdoing.
Intercept Brasil reported that Vorcaro allegedly transferred about $12 million to Flavio Bolsonaro at Bolsonaro's request.
Source note: AFP news report published on 5 September 2026 at 01:12:20 UTC.
Update
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called for everyone linked to the corruption scandal to be investigated.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes called for an investigation of Justice Andre Mendonca, accusing him of abuse of power and favoring certain political groups.
Mendonca had ordered records in the Vorcaro scandal unsealed to clarify whether messages were actually sent to Moraes.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 September 2026 at 01:49:07 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
Rodrigues's final status remains pending after Fachin suspended the rival rulings and gave him 48 hours to provide information.
The nature and significance of any contacts between Vorcaro and Moraes remain part of the disputed court crisis.
The supplied material reports allegations of spying, abuse of power and influence-seeking but does not establish those claims as fact.
Source
AFP news report published on .