Supreme Court Justice André Mendonça Accuses Colleague Alexandre de Moraes of 'Distorting' Police Reports in Deepening Institutional Crisis

The institutional crisis rocking Brazil’s highest court has escalated sharply as Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF) Justice André Mendonça filed a motion to archive an investigation against him, accusing his colleague, Justice Alexandre de Moraes, of “distorting” Federal Police (PF) intelligence reports. The open conflict between the two justices, who represent the deepest divides in Brazilian politics, has paralyzed the STF just weeks before a critical presidential election.

The confrontation is an outgrowth of a spiraling judicial and political scandal surrounding the failed lender Banco Master. Justice Mendonça, an appointee of former President Jair Bolsonaro and the only evangelical pastor on the court, initially oversaw the case and unsealed a Federal Police report. That document detailed messages between the bank’s imprisoned former owner, Daniel Vorcaro, and a person identified as Justice de Moraes, which suggested a close relationship and raised questions about a potential conflict of interest regarding a contract with de Moraes's wife's law firm.

Justice de Moraes, a powerful figure known for leading the anti-coup investigation that resulted in Bolsonaro's conviction, responded by asking for an investigation into Mendonça for alleged abuse of authority and administrative misconduct in his handling of the case. De Moraes accused Mendonça of pursuing a politically-motivated "farce" against him.

Mendonça's latest move targets the very foundation of the investigation against him. He claims Justice de Moraes is relying on "instrumentalized" and unreliable PF reports to falsely impute irregular conduct, an accusation that challenges the institutional integrity of the Federal Police and the court's internal processes. The initial accusations against Mendonça covered his handling of both the Banco Master case and the long-running INSS fraud cases. The clash recently culminated in a shouting match between the two justices during a public plenary session.

The institutional gridlock is severe. The STF was scheduled to consider opening an investigation into Justice de Moraes last week, but the session was suspended amid the bitter procedural fight and clashes between the justices, effectively postponing a decision on the matter until after the upcoming October election. The delay and the public nature of the feud—a proxy battle between the supporters of former President Bolsonaro and the government of current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva—is widely seen as undermining the Supreme Court’s authority and its role as the final arbiter of law in Brazil.