Federal Police reports point to a possible intervention by Justice Alexandre de Moraes on behalf of banker Daniel Vorcaro, which may have contributed to the increase in Banco Master‘s financial losses.
Documents indicate that, between 2024 and 2025, requests for help by the bank delayed oversight actions, allowing the institution to continue operating and accumulate debts that affected the national banking system.
Relationship between Alexandre de Moraes and Daniel Vorcaro
The ties between the Supreme Federal Court (STF) justice and the former owner of Banco Master reportedly intensified starting in December 2023. Investigations reveal that this contact was brokered by a former government minister and resulted in several in-person meetings between the two.
Viviane Barci de Moraes, the justice’s wife, signed multimillion-real contracts with Banco Master to provide legal services and strategic consulting. File metadata indicate that Alexandre de Moraes himself opened and edited documents from these contracts, suggesting his direct involvement in serving the interests of the financial institution controlled by Vorcaro.
Financial impact and measures taken
The liquidation of Banco Master and other companies linked to the businessman caused a total impact of R$ 57.4 billion on the reserves of the Credit Guarantee Fund (FGC). The fund acts as a kind of insurance for bank investors, guaranteeing reimbursement up to a set limit in the event of bankruptcy.
To cover this record loss, the country’s other banks had to prepay five years of contributions to the FGC. At the same time, state and municipal government pension funds suffered billion-real losses, which could put future pressure on public budgets to guarantee pension benefits.
Requests and intercepted messages
Messages intercepted by the Federal Police show that Daniel Vorcaro allegedly explicitly asked Alexandre de Moraes to intervene with the leadership of the Federal Police and the Prosecutor General’s Office. The goal was to block investigations and prevent measures such as searches and the lifting of confidentiality that could lead to the bank’s immediate collapse.
Vorcaro appeared to have inside information about Central Bank actions and expressed concern about internal procedures, which he nicknamed ‘dirty tricks from below,’ that could harm his business. In one of the contacts, shortly before being arrested, he asked the justice whether he should leave the country to avoid the enforcement of court orders.
Next steps and positions
The Supreme Federal Court is expected to decide in the coming days whether to open a formal investigation into Alexandre de Moraes over his relationship with the former owner of Banco Master. The controversy gained momentum after Justice André Mendonça lifted the seal on Federal Police reports detailing these interactions.
The Barci de Moraes law firm’s defense denies any wrongdoing and states that the second contract with Banco Master was never signed. For his part, Justice Moraes accuses Mendonça of abuse of authority for allegedly steering the investigation.
The full Court will analyze whether there is sufficient evidence to open an inquiry into possible political interference and personal favoritism.
This report was produced based on information gathered by the Gazeta do Povo team.
