Messages extracted from Daniel Vorcaro's phone suggest a close relationship between the former banker and Benedito Gonçalves, a justice on the STJ, Brazil's second-highest court, who currently serves as inspector general of the CNJ, the National Council of Justice that polices the judiciary. According to Folha de S.Paulo, which obtained the material, the two men treated each other as friends, exchanged cordial messages and arranged meetings in Brasília.
On May 17, 2024, after a meeting between the two, Gonçalves wrote to Vorcaro: "Good evening, happy to have seen my friend again. Beautiful party! Congratulations! Regards, Benedito". Vorcaro replied "Dear friend" and "Thank you for the kindness", then suggested another get-together: "Let's set up the cigar in Brasília".
On July 2 of that year, Vorcaro again called the justice a "great friend" and proposed a meeting in the federal capital. "Great friend, all well? Let's arrange a meeting in Brasília when you're back from Rio!", he wrote. Gonçalves answered that he would arrive on the 29th and call right after. "And here, always at your disposal", he added. That same day, he sent a sticker of a handshake with the words "Always together".
London events and no response from the justice
According to Folha, Gonçalves attended an event paid for by Vorcaro in London in April 2024. He was also present at a Macallan whisky tasting for officials hosted by the former banker around the same time. The justice was contacted through the press offices of the STJ and the CNJ at 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday (15) via WhatsApp and had not responded by the time the report was published. In the first half of this year, he recused himself from cases related to Banco Master at the STJ.
The case at the Supreme Court
The messages surfaced as the Supreme Court, the STF, debates the fallout of the Banco Master case. In Tuesday's session (15), which addressed whether to open an investigation into Justice Alexandre de Moraes over his own message exchanges with Vorcaro, Justice Flávio Dino suggested notifying every magistrate of the higher courts named in any document related to the case. The outlet Diário 360 noted that the conversations alone do not prove any wrongdoing or judicial favoritism.
The next step lies with the Supreme Court. Dino's notification proposal still awaits a decision by the court. Gonçalves had made no public statement on the messages as of the publication of Folha's report on Friday (18).