Brazil executes – Brazil’s federal police carried out 18 search-and-seizure warrants tied to Banco Master, including a raid targeting Senator Jaques Wagner, a close ally within President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s governing coalition. The case has expanded beyond banking accus
For a senator long seen as part of the governing team, the morning arrived like a summons from another world.
Federal police in Brazil carried out more than a dozen raids as part of a widening corruption investigation that reaches into the orbit of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. On Thursday. Brazilian police said they executed 18 search-and-seizure warrants in the federal district of Brasilia. along with the states of Bahia and Sao Paulo.
One of the targets was Senator Jaques Wagner, 75, a former Bahia governor who helps lead the governing Workers’ Party coalition in Congress. The warrants were tied to an ongoing probe into financial “irregularities” linked to the former lending bank Banco Master.
Brazil’s courts ordered Banco Master to be liquidated last year. and in March. the bank’s owner. Daniel Vorcaro. was arrested after facing accusations of fraud. money laundering and other crimes. Thursday’s raids were designed to uncover the extent of Vorcaro’s alleged financial offenses. and how investigators believe they may have helped fuel government corruption.
Brazil’s Supreme Court authorized the search warrants to examine a “possible illicit relationship” between Banco Master and Senator Wagner. The court said Wagner may have received “undue economic advantages” through his connection to the bank. The alleged benefits included access to private planes and compensation such as millions of dollars and an apartment.
In return, Wagner is accused of advocating for the bank’s interests by promoting a failed constitutional amendment. That amendment, according to the allegations, would have increased the amount of money that could be insured by a bank-fed fund during times of crisis.
Other warrants executed on Thursday targeted figures including Augusto Lima, described as one of Vorcaro’s former business partners.
Wagner, for his part, has denied any illicit activity, including receiving funds from Banco Master. “My property is clean,” Wagner posted on social media, adding that he had received a “phone call of solidarity” from President Lula, who expressed his “confidence” in him.
The Workers’ Party Senate caucus also moved quickly, issuing a statement backing Wagner. It pointed to the senator’s explanation and asked supporters to “fear not.”
As the scandal grows, it is no longer confined to one faction. The case is drawing attention across Brazil’s political spectrum, with October’s presidential race already approaching.
In May. a publication released a series of alleged WhatsApp messages between Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. a right-wing presidential candidate. and Vorcaro. the disgraced bank leader. The messages purportedly show Bolsonaro courting Vorcaro to finance a film about the life of his father. former President Jair Bolsonaro. Jair Bolsonaro is currently in prison serving a 27-year sentence for attempting to subvert Brazil’s democracy.
Senator Bolsonaro denied any wrongdoing and denied any connection to Vorcaro’s fraud. In a social media post, he said he was simply “a son seeking PRIVATE sponsorship for a PRIVATE film about his own father’s life”.
The right-wing Bolsonaro is a frontrunner to unseat President Lula, who is running for a fourth, non-consecutive term. Recent polls have shown the race tightening, with two candidates near parity, but a survey this week suggested Lula may be gaining ground.
In a CNT/MDA poll released on Tuesday, roughly 49 percent of respondents said they would back Lula in a head-to-head contest with Bolsonaro. Only 36.8 percent said they would support Bolsonaro.
With the campaign looking more uncertain. Bolsonaro tried to shore up support on Thursday by releasing 12 points of priority for his government if elected president. The list included building five new maximum security prisons. deploying extra forces to Brazil’s borders to stop irregular migration. and reducing the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16.
Bolsonaro also said he would treat criminal networks as “terrorist” organizations. echoing a policy championed by United States President Donald Trump. a prominent international supporter of the Bolsonaro family. “They will be hunted down with force and intelligence. ” Bolsonaro said of criminal groups like Comando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital. “Any armed criminal carrying a rifle will be taken down by our security forces.”.
Crime is expected to be a major issue in the October race—yet so is who is tied, even indirectly, to accusations of financial wrongdoing that have begun to pull multiple political camps into the same spotlight.
Brazil federal police Jaques Wagner Banco Master Daniel Vorcaro corruption investigation Supreme Court warrants Workers’ Party Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Flavio Bolsonaro WhatsApp messages October presidential race
So they raided a senator now? wild. Who even knows what’s true anymore.
I read something about Banco Master and thought this was just a bank going under, not a whole political thing. If they liquidated it last year then why is it still connected to people with planes??
Isn’t Wagner like… part of the president’s team? So basically Lula’s buddies are involved? I’m not saying it’s fake but it feels like they’re just finding a convenient target and calling it corruption.
This article says “possible illicit relationship” like they don’t even have proof yet which is kinda messed up. Also private planes and apartments?? So they’re mad because a bank helped insurance numbers or whatever? Sounds like typical politics honestly.