Federal Police Director-General Andrei Rodrigues is pressing the Attorney General's Office to legally challenge decisions issued by Supreme Court Justice André Mendonça. The request targets an investigation into INSS pension fraud that involves President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's son, Fábio Luís Lula da Silva. Police leadership claims the justice violated investigative autonomy by requiring raw evidence files and prohibiting changes to the police team without prior notice.
Attorney General Jorge Messias has blocked the legal appeal and favors back-channel negotiations. According to CNN Brasil, the Federal Police took more than seven months to transfer bank, tax and phone records ordered by the justice. The delay prompted Mendonça to demand direct access to the unedited investigative databases.
Legal experts view the police pressure against the Supreme Court justice as creating severe legal risks for the administration. Writing for news portal Metrópoles, columnist Mario Sabino cited reporting by journalist Roseann Kennedy on internal warnings within the government. Advisers to the Attorney General argue that filing a motion against the justice could draw accusations of obstructing justice.
The Metrópoles report highlighted concerns regarding the potential impact on the presidency.
"It was a trap. They did not realize that the request would explode in Lula's lap,"
stated an official close to the Attorney General's office quoted by Kennedy. Because the Attorney General represents the presidency, legal actions affecting an inquiry into the president's son carry major political consequences.
Institutional friction remains high. According to CNN Brasil, Federal Police leadership previously attempted to reassign the probe away from Mendonça, but a court draw kept the case with him. Political analyst Caio Junqueira pointed to the lack of common ground.
"There is no possible agreement because one side views the other as a source of leaks and a blocker of investigations against their political allies,"
Junqueira noted.
The case now depends on whether the Attorney General agrees to submit a formal appeal or maintains private talks with the Supreme Court. The Federal Police awaits the outcome before determining how to handle the judge's order for unedited evidence files.