Brazil STF Justice Lifts Secrecy on Key Probes Targeting Bolsonaro Son, Ciro Nogueira Ahead of Election

A Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice has lifted the confidentiality on a sweep of high-profile corruption investigations, exposing the details of probes involving senior politicians from across Brazil’s political spectrum just weeks before a critical election. Justice André Mendonça unsealed the records for 39 judicial processes late Friday, including the politically sensitive inquiry into the financing of the “Dark Horse” film, a biopic about former President Jair Bolsonaro.

The key process made public is the investigation targeting Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who is a candidate in the upcoming presidential race, and his brother, Federal Deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro. The probe is looking into alleged corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion related to a reported BRL 61 million (about $12 million) transfer from disgraced banker Daniel Vorcaro to finance the film. The documents suggest investigators suspect the funds may have been improperly used for the Bolsonaro family’s expenses and political promotion.

The newly unsealed cases also reveal details about investigations involving two other heavyweights: Senator Ciro Nogueira (PP-PI), former Chief of Staff under Bolsonaro, and Senator Jaques Wagner (PT-BA), the current government’s leader in the Senate. Both politicians are implicated in probes related to Daniel Vorcaro, the former owner of the collapsed Banco Master. The underlying Banco Master scandal is considered Brazil’s biggest banking fraud case, with Vorcaro accused of running a Ponzi-like scheme and having deep, corrupt ties with influential figures across the judiciary and legislature.

The decision by Justice Mendonça, a former Attorney General nominated to the court by Jair Bolsonaro, follows intense institutional conflict within the Brazilian Supreme Court. STF President Edson Fachin reportedly pressured Mendonça with a 24-hour deadline for full transparency. This push came after Mendonça was criticized by other justices for selectively releasing only a fraction of the documents earlier in the week, specifically those that included messages between Vorcaro and another Supreme Court Justice, Alexandre de Moraes.

The broader move toward transparency is aimed at allowing all STF judges to review the complete case files before an extraordinary session scheduled for next Tuesday. That session is set to evaluate the validity of the police report on the messages between Vorcaro and Justice Moraes. The public release of the documents, which details alleged links between a colossal banking fraud and the highest levels of Brazilian politics, significantly raises the political risk for many leading figures as the country approaches the October general election.