Brazil’s Top Prosecutor, Paulo Gonet, Probed by Council Over Ties to Ex-Banker Daniel Vorcaro

Brazil’s political and judicial establishment faced a new crisis this week as the Federal Public Ministry Council (CSMPF) opened an internal procedure to analyze messages from jailed ex-banker Daniel Vorcaro that mention the country’s top prosecutor, Attorney General Paulo Gonet. The investigation adds a layer of profound instability to the powerful institutions overseeing elections and major corruption cases, just weeks before a high-stakes presidential vote.

The internal procedure seeks to determine the nature of the relationship between Gonet, the Procurador-Geral da República (PGR), and Vorcaro, the alleged mastermind behind a multi-billion-dollar fraud scheme at the collapsed Banco Master. Gonet, who presides over the CSMPF, has been given a period to respond to the allegations, which were brought forward by opposition lawmakers. The procedure is being conducted confidentially.

The focus of the inquiry is on messages recovered by Federal Police from Vorcaro's devices. They allegedly show the ex-banker requesting a Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice to contact Gonet and the Federal Police chief to halt an operation against Banco Master. Further reports indicate that the communications include mentions of Gonet’s son, who was allegedly the beneficiary of a trip to London financed by Vorcaro. The Attorney General has publicly denied any close relationship with the former banker, stating that any professional link stems from his son’s work.

This internal probe is the latest fallout from the sprawling Master Case, which centers on the 2025 collapse of Banco Master after its liquidation by the Central Bank over serious regulatory violations. The scandal has already triggered an unprecedented public feud within the STF, where two justices—Alexandre de Moraes and André Mendonça—have clashed over the release of police reports detailing Vorcaro’s web of influence, which has implicated several top power brokers. The Attorney General’s office, headed by Gonet, holds a critical role as an independent legal watchdog that can launch criminal investigations against federal officials, including the President, Ministers, and members of Congress.

The Federal Public Ministry Council, composed mostly of members of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF), acts as the institution’s internal administrative and disciplinary oversight body. Because the Attorney General is the head of the MPF, his presiding over the council that is now investigating him represents an immediate conflict of interest that critics say undermines the credibility of the review process. The crisis is set to deepen on September 25, when the CSMPF is scheduled to formally analyze the procedure’s findings and decide on its next steps.