Brazil Supreme Court split over allegations between justices Moraes and Mendonca

Brazil's Supreme Court is facing a new internal dispute after two of its justices accused each other of wrongdoing. The court is now weighing possible investigations into Justice Alexandre de Moraes and Justice Andre Mendonca, in a case that has intensified political tensions around the country's highest tribunal. The row is linked to allegations involving banker Daniel Vorcaro and to the wider fallout from the case against former President Jair Bolsonaro.

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Chief Justice Edson Fachin said on Friday that Brazil's attorney general would have five days to assess the allegations against Mendonca. The court is also expected to decide next week whether to open an investigation into de Moraes. Mendonca, who was appointed by Bolsonaro, released a report this week that alleged links between de Moraes and Vorcaro, who has been accused in a broad fraud scheme.

De Moraes then accused Mendonca of abusing his authority by unsealing the documents. The dispute comes at a sensitive moment for Brazil's judiciary and political system. De Moraes oversaw the case that led to Bolsonaro's conviction and has become a central figure in the legal and political backlash surrounding the former president.

Bolsonaro is currently under house arrest after receiving a 27-year prison sentence for his role in a coup plot, and his supporters have used the allegations against de Moraes to question the legitimacy of the case. The court's handling of the matter could affect confidence in one of Brazil's most powerful institutions. The controversy also reflects the broader polarisation that has followed Bolsonaro's defeat by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in 2022.

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Prosecutors say Bolsonaro and far-right allies tried to subvert the election result and disrupt the transfer of power. That tension culminated in the attack on government buildings in Brasilia on 8 January 2023, when Bolsonaro supporters stormed key institutions in what investigators say was an attempt to trigger a military uprising. Since then, the case has remained a major fault line in Brazilian politics.

The allegations have also drawn in figures beyond the court itself. Vorcaro has been described in the report as a disgraced banker accused in a wide-reaching fraud scheme, adding a financial-crime dimension to the dispute. The controversy has been amplified by criticism from Bolsonaro allies and by support for Bolsonaro from high-profile figures abroad, including United States President Donald Trump.

De Moraes has also faced sanctions from the US Treasury Department over his role in the Bolsonaro trial and his actions against online platforms. What happens next will depend on the attorney general's review of the allegations against Mendonca and the court's decision on whether to investigate de Moraes. It remains unclear whether the dispute will lead to formal proceedings against either justice or deepen the institutional crisis further.

#Brazil #SupremeCourt #AlexandredeMoraes #AndreMendonca #JairBolsonaro

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