President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke on Tuesday (September 1) with Edson Fachin, chief justice of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF), about the crisis gripping the tribunal after the release of messages exchanged between former banker Daniel Vorcaro and Justice Alexandre de Moraes. According to Folha de S.Paulo, Lula and his political circle are marking their distance from Moraes, an ally in recent years, to try to keep the case from damaging his reelection bid in October's presidential election.
The messages became public on the same day. According to the Federal Police, cited by g1, Vorcaro offered Moraes multimillion-real contracts, luxury experiences and a trip to London, and the two reportedly met eight times. The Federal Police report that exposed the exchanges was ordered by Justice André Mendonça, who oversees the Banco Master case at the court. Also on Tuesday, according to Folha, the court's most senior justice, Gilmar Mendes, reached out to Lula to warn him about what he calls the lack of support from government institutions for the Federal Police leadership.
Lula discussed the matter with political allies on Wednesday morning (2). The group settled on a single public line: no one is above the law. The president is expected to address the case only when asked in interviews, and will likely use a softer tone than his campaign's.
The campaign's voice
Hours after taking part in the meeting with Lula, Workers' Party (PT) president and campaign coordinator Edinho Silva posted a video on social media. In it, he says Brazil's political and judicial system lives a "deep crisis" and has "rotted", and he calls for a code of ethics covering the judiciary and the prosecutors' office.
"No one is above the law. Be it an ordinary citizen, a government leader, a lawmaker or even a member of the judiciary. The Brazilian people can no longer stand living under this system of corruption and privileges", said Edinho Silva.
Without mentioning the Master case directly, which also involves Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet, Edinho called for an end to the "binge of congressional earmarks", to oversized public salaries and to "the promiscuity between public and private interests". According to g1, Lula had not spoken about the case as of the report's last update, while other presidential candidates already had.
What comes next
The institutional response now rests with the Supreme Court. Fachin said on Wednesday that he will announce in the coming days measures on the facts under review, stating that "the high authority of office confers no privileges, but imposes duties, limits and responsibilities". Lawmakers from the government's base petitioned the chief justice to lift the secrecy over investigations into "Dark Horse", a biopic of Jair Bolsonaro funded with Vorcaro's money, and to rule Justice Mendonça unfit to lead the Master inquiry. The court's bench held its first session since the revelations on Wednesday. Lula is expected to speak only when asked.