Flavio Bolsonaro faces corruption probe weeks before Brazil election

Supreme Court records made public this week show that Justice Andre Mendonca opened an inquiry in July into Senator Flavio Bolsonaro over his links to Daniel Vorcaro, the former head of collapsed lender Banco Master. The documents, unsealed on Friday, indicate investigators are examining whether Flavio Bolsonaro engaged in corruption, money laundering or tax evasion in connection with Vorcaro.

Federal police have said Vorcaro, arrested in March, is accused of overseeing one of Brazil’s largest alleged frauds, which they estimate affected roughly 800,000 bank clients and involved about $2.3 billion. Investigators reported that data recovered from Vorcaro’s cellphone showed approximately $12 million was transferred to a U.S.-based fund tied to Eduardo Bolsonaro in 2025; police allege the money was destined for the 2026 film Dark Horse, which depicts former President Jair Bolsonaro positively.

Court filings show prosecutors are working to trace the origin of those transfers, identify the companies that carried out the transactions and determine the ultimate beneficiaries. A screenshot included in the files suggests Eduardo Bolsonaro advised Vorcaro on managing the U.S. funds; Eduardo has rejected the characterization of the transfers as bribes and said they were meant to protect the money from interference by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

The probe adds to an already tense political backdrop as Flavio Bolsonaro campaigns against incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in an Oct. 4 election that is expected to go to a runoff. Allegations linking Flavio to Vorcaro first surfaced in May through leaked messages published by Intercept Brasil. Both Flavio and Lula have publicly called for transparency in the unfolding Banco Master case.

The unsealing of files followed an order from Chief Justice Edson Fachin to release thousands of pages related to the Banco Master investigation. The disclosures have also intensified disputes within the Supreme Court: Mendonca previously made public documents purportedly showing Vorcaro seeking advice from Justice de Moraes, and de Moraes accused Mendonca of abusing his position by revealing material and meeting privately with Vorcaro without prosecutors or police present. The court is due to consider next week whether to open an investigation into de Moraes, while parts of the Banco Master case remain sealed as police continue their work.