Brazil Supreme Court justice reinstates federal police chief in escalating court clash
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's Supreme Court was pulled deeper into institutional turmoil on Wednesday after Justice Flávio Dino reinstated two senior federal police officers suspended by a fellow justice a day earlier, a decision that exposed the sharp divisions running through the court.
Dino, appointed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and a former justice minister, reversed the order from Justice Andre Mendonca that had removed federal police Director-General Andrei Rodrigues and intelligence director Leandro Almada. Mendonca, a Bolsonaro appointee, had accused the two officers of driving illegal investigations that targeted him.
Dino ruled that Mendonca's disagreement with the force was not enough to justify the removals, and that the police leadership should not be swept up in a magistrate's personal cause. He said his own ruling could only be reconsidered by the full 10-member court, signaling the conflict is far from over.
The clash lays bare broader strains inside Brazil's top court as the country enters a tense election season. Lula's political allies have accused Mendonca of deliberately stalling federal police investigations that concern opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro while speeding up cases that touch the president's inner circle. Mendonca has denied any bias.
Mendonca is currently overseeing two politically sensitive inquiries as Lula prepares to face Sen. Bolsonaro in October's national elections. One, into the collapse of Banco Master, has entangled mostly opposition politicians. The other, into suspected fraud in Brazil's pension system, has raised questions about possible wrongdoing by one of Lula's sons.
Mendonca has also been locked in a public feud with Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison last year. In a recent move, Mendonca unsealed federal police documents showing that Banco Master owner Daniel Vorcaro repeatedly sought de Moraes' legal advice before his arrest. De Moraes has denied wrongdoing but has faced pressure since disclosures showed his wife worked as counsel for Banco Master under a 130 million reais ($25 million) contract. He has not commented publicly on the case.
Wednesday's decision does not end the underlying dispute, but it strengthens the federal police's ability to resist orders from individual justices and forces any further challenge to go through the entire court. With presidential campaigns intensifying, the episode is likely to become another fault line in Brazil's polarized politics.