Brazil Supreme Court chief suspends rival rulings amid power struggle ahead of election
By Ricardo Brito
BRASILIA, Sept 9 (Reuters) -Brazil's Supreme Court Chief Justice Edson Fachin moved on Wednesday to contain a deepening judicial crisis, suspending the effects of rival rulings by fellow justices and summoning the full court for an extraordinary session next week.
The step underscored how quickly an internal feud has escalated into the most serious crisis for Brazil's top court since the country returned to democracy more than four decades ago. It is unfolding weeks before Brazilians vote for president and most of Congress in October, adding a volatile new element to an already polarized campaign.
Earlier Wednesday, Justice Flavio Dino ordered federal police chief Andrei Rodrigues reinstated immediately, reversing a Tuesday decision by Justice Andre Mendonca that had removed Rodrigues and his intelligence chief. Mendonca acted over allegations that police personnel had produced intelligence reports aimed at monitoring him and other authorities. A five-member Supreme Court panel backed his decision by majority, but President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government challenged it.
Dino countered that the removals lacked evidentiary support and directly affected ongoing investigations, describing an "equally real and immediate" risk of harm. Fachin's intervention suspended both rulings and left Rodrigues in charge of the federal police until further notice. Fachin gave Rodrigues 48 hours to provide information about the allegations and said he would then decide whether Rodrigues should remain in the job.
Growing crisis
The dispute is the latest front in a widening clash between Mendonca and Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Last week, Moraes accused Mendonca of abusing his authority by making public material from an investigation into alleged fraud at Banco Master, a now-liquidated bank. The material included dozens of messages from the bank's disgraced president to Moraes, prompting calls for an unprecedented investigation of a sitting Supreme Court justice.
The broader fallout has unsettled Brazil's institutions as investigators examine Banco Master and alleged ties between its president, Daniel Vorcaro, and senior government officials as well as opposition politicians. In a separate decision Wednesday, Fachin scheduled a Sept. 15 session for the court's full ten-member bench to discuss Moraes' alleged relationship with Vorcaro. Fachin also suspended any investigation into Supreme Court justices.
Uncertainty before election
The court crisis has injected fresh uncertainty into a closely contested presidential race between Lula and his leading right-wing challenger, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. Supporters of Bolsonaro are trying to tie Moraes and the corruption case to the president. Polling shows Lula's lead over the senator has all but disappeared.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Lula called the Banco Master case the "greatest financial crime in Brazil's history." He added: "The Brazilian people need explanations and immediate measures to confront the institutional crisis that has taken hold of the judiciary."
Campaigning in the city where his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, survived a stabbing attack eight years ago, Flavio Bolsonaro blamed Lula for the escalating crisis. "Brazil is without a president, Brazil is without leadership. Everything that is happening is chaos left behind by Lula," he said.
Brazilian markets rallied Tuesday as traders pointed to two polls showing Bolsonaro and Lula statistically tied in a potential runoff before the election.
(Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Writing by Brendan O'Bolye and Fernando Cardoso; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Gareth Jones, Nia Williams and Tom Hogue)