OddsFrontBrazil’s Supreme Court cancels a second day of hearings amid an internal corruption dispute
Justices are trading allegations over the Banco Master scandal as the court prepares to decide whether Alexandre de Moraes should face investigation.
Rare cancellations expose a divided court
Brazil’s Supreme Court cancelled deliberations for a second consecutive day as its justices confronted allegations involving the Banco Master corruption scandal. Chief Justice Luiz Edson Fachin called off Thursday’s session and scheduled the court to reconvene on Tuesday. Such cancellations are unusual and turn an internal dispute into a consequential institutional crisis shortly before Brazil’s October general election.
The immediate conflict centres on documents unsealed by Justice André Mendonça on September 1. The records appeared to contain roughly 30 messages sent by disgraced banker Daniel Vorcaro to a telephone number associated with Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The existence of the messages does not itself prove misconduct. De Moraes has accused Mendonça of abusing judicial authority for political purposes and requested scrutiny of how Vorcaro was questioned.
A full bench faces an investigation decision
When the court returns, 10 justices are expected to consider whether their eleventh colleague, de Moraes, should be investigated over the communications. Vorcaro, the former head of Banco Master, was arrested in November 2025 on accusations of defrauding investors. Al Jazeera reports that the failed private-banking operation left more than $7 billion in debt, while the widening inquiry has drawn in figures across Brazil’s political spectrum.
Police carried out dozens of related raids on Thursday, including searches involving people connected to a planned film about jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the former president’s son and a presidential contender, denied wrongdoing and characterised the investigation as political interference. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Bolsonaro have both called for investigation of the justices.
Institutional and international stakes
De Moraes was already a polarising international figure because of his role in cases involving Bolsonaro and US social-media companies. A 2025 White House fact sheet accused him of censoring political opponents and coercing American firms, illustrating how Brazilian judicial disputes had already become a bilateral issue; those US assertions remain the administration’s position, not independent findings. Tuesday’s vote will determine whether the present crisis moves from accusations to a formal investigation.