Brazil's Supreme Court investigates Flávio Bolsonaro for corruption weeks before elections
The Supreme Court partially lifted secrecy on the Master case, revealing that presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro has been under investigation for money laundering and corruption since July.
Bolsonaro's son under formal investigation for money laundering and corruption during presidential campaign
Brazil's Supreme Court on Friday partially lifted the seal on proceedings in the Master case, revealing that Flávio Bolsonaro, the leading right-wing candidate for October's presidential election, has been formally under investigation since July for money laundering, foreign exchange evasion and corruption. This was reported by elpais.com, which emphasises that the disclosure comes little more than three weeks before Brazilians go to the polls to elect a president, governors and Congress.
The investigation is linked to several million dollars that banker Daniel Vorcaro, owner of an entity that left a 10 billion-dollar shortfall, handed over to the senator and candidate. Until now this was known; the new development is the official confirmation that the former president Jair Bolsonaro's son is formally in the sights of the high court.
Tied polls and expectation of a second round
Bolsonaro's son, of the Liberal Party, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is seeking reelection, have been level in polls for weeks. Everything points to the decision being taken in a second round on 25 October and by a narrow margin. Lula's campaign team hopes the corruption investigation will alter the electoral dynamic and allow him to break the tie. Bolsonaro himself has also spoken in favour of the Supreme Court making all documentation of the case public.
The judge in charge of the investigation against Bolsonaro's eldest son is André Mendonça, appointed at one time by the former president himself, who described him as "terribly evangelical". In recent weeks, Mendonça has positioned himself as a counterweight to judge Alexandre de Moraes within the Supreme Court, an attitude celebrated by Bolsonarism.
The audio and the 12 million dollars
Last May, digital outlet The Intercept Brasil exclusively published an audio in which Senator Flávio Bolsonaro asked banker Vorcaro for money to finance a biographical film about his father, starring a Hollywood actor. Until that moment, Bolsonaro's son had publicly denied knowing the businessman, who is accused in Brazil's largest banking fraud. However, he had allegedly met with Vorcaro on several occasions, who promised him 25 million dollars and delivered 12 million before being detained.
After it became known that he is under investigation, Bolsonaro responded to the press in Manaus after a campaign event. He reiterated that the money received was "sponsorship for a private film", comparable to contributions from other investors, and denied having offered any quid pro quo to the banker or having committed any irregularity.
The Dark Horse film and the police operation
The previous Thursday, Federal Police conducted an operation focused on financing the film about Bolsonaro senior, titled Dark Horse—an English expression for an unexpected winner. Investigators are seeking to determine whether public money was used to fund the production.
The operation focused on bolsonarist deputy Mario Frías, a former telenovela actor who was responsible for Culture during the Bolsonaro government, and on the film's production company. Frías contributed 400,000 dollars to the film through parliamentary amendments, a controversial legislative mechanism that allows parliamentarians to direct portions of the public budget to projects of their choosing.
The film, whose budget exceeded that of Brazil's most expensive productions, stars Jim Caviezel—known for playing Jesus Christ in The Passion of the Christ—as the former president. The release was scheduled for this month, coinciding with the election campaign, but after the irregular financing scandal the family decided to postpone it to after the election.
When initial suspicions about the film's financing emerged, candidate Bolsonaro pledged to present a report with all accounting details. He never published it, although in each interview in which he was asked about it he assured he had already given all relevant explanations.
The Master case: a scandal touching judges and politicians
The Master case is a corruption scandal surrounding a bank liquidated by authorities in late 2025 that has plunged the Supreme Court into an unprecedented crisis. The scandal touches several court magistrates, politicians from the right and left—including the head of the Workers' Party caucus in the Senate—and Central Bank officials.
Investigations point to banker Vorcaro distributing money and favours among politicians, judges and inspectors to build a protection network that first allowed him to sustain his business and later to obstruct inquiries against him.
Police also suspect that part of the money received by Bolsonaro's son was used to finance the stay of his brother Eduardo Bolsonaro in the United States, where he allegedly carried out lobbying activities with the Trump Administration.
Lula demands there be no impunity
President Lula has insisted in recent days that nobody should be above the law and has called on judges to fully lift the seal on proceedings in the case and see it through to the end, "hurt whom it may hurt".
The Bolsonaro clan has always raised the fight against corruption as one of its main flags. That position is now harder to sustain for Flávio than for his father, given that the eldest son was previously investigated on suspicion of such matters as paying cash for a family beach house or pocketing part of his office staff's salaries. The candidate, who fell in polls when his meetings with Vorcaro became known but recovered ground over time, has always maintained that his dealings with the banker were legal and unrelated to any public money.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)