Brazil's Federal Police have summoned former banker Daniel Vorcaro, the owner of Banco Master, and his father, Henrique Vorcaro, to testify on September 30 in an inquiry into the suspected use of a private militia for intimidation and computer system intrusions. Daniel is set to be heard at 2 p.m. and Henrique at 4 p.m., according to Folha de S.Paulo and a blog run by journalist Andréia Sadi at G1, Globo's news site.
The hearings had been scheduled for last week but were postponed at the request of Vorcaro's defense. Investigators treat the new date as the final step before this phase of the inquiry is closed. The G1 blog reported that they fear the two men, both in prison, could be released before they are heard.
A timeline of the case
The investigation points to two cells. The first, known as A Turma, is suspected of making threats at the former banker's behest and was tied to Luiz Phillipi Machado de Moraes Mourão, nicknamed Sicário (Hitman), who is suspected of working for Vorcaro in the private militia. He killed himself in March as he was being arrested. The second cell, Os Meninos (The Boys), consisted, according to the investigation, of hackers paid to take down the social media profiles of critics of Vorcaro and Banco Master and to break into the devices and accounts of opponents.
Henrique Vorcaro was arrested on May 14 in the sixth phase of Operação Compliance Zero, on suspicion of belonging to what a Federal Police source described to G1 as the group's "violent core". A federal agent and three hackers were also arrested in the same operation. In June, the STF, Brazil's Supreme Federal Court, upheld his pretrial detention. Vorcaro's brother-in-law Fabiano Zettel, investigated as the group's financial operator, has been in prison since March.
The defenses and the stalemate at the STF
Henrique's lawyer, Eugênio Pacelli, told Folha his client has been asking to testify for three months. On Wednesday, his defense asked the STF to revoke the detention, arguing that he has been held for more than 90 days without a single release appeal being judged. Daniel Vorcaro's lawyers did not respond to a request for comment. Zettel's lawyers said they fear that the "exceptional reorganization of the handling of the cases produces a jurisdictional vacuum" for their client.
The requests reflect a stalemate at the top court. Its president, Edson Fachin, ordered that the Master case investigations and the parallel INSS inquiry, which concerns Brazil's social security institute, be sent to his chambers. According to Folha, the Federal Police work continues, and only requests requiring a ruling by Justice André Mendonça, the rapporteur for the cases, remain on hold. Also stalled is the court's vote on whether to open an investigation into the relationship between Vorcaro and Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
The next step is set: Daniel and Henrique testify on the 30th, at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. After the hearings, the Federal Police are expected to close this phase of the inquiry, and the case remains with Mendonça at the STF, where Henrique's request for release still awaits judgment.