Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Thursday, September 17, that Flávio Bolsonaro will not escape the investigations involving Banco Master.
Speaking to the Brazilian broadcaster Itatiaia as a candidate for re-election with the Workers' Party, Lula said he closed Banco Master, which they had opened, and arrested the banker. He said all those involved with Banco Master who took money directly or indirectly would be punished, adding that the game was only beginning.
The head of the Planalto, Brazil's presidential office, said Flávio Bolsonaro, of the Liberal Party in Rio de Janeiro, already faces a large number of allegations that have not even been investigated yet. According to Lula, those allegations involve extensive links between Flávio Bolsonaro and Banco Master, ties to Daniel Vorcaro, and money for a film with his father. Lula described the matter as a fraudulent scheme that his administration is trying to dismantle.
Flávio Bolsonaro is a federal senator for Rio de Janeiro and the eldest son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Lula previously served as Brazil's president from 2003 to 2010 and returned to office in 2023 as leader of the Workers' Party.
Supreme Federal Court session on Alexandre de Moraes
Lula also commented on the situation involving Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. On Tuesday, September 15, Moraes faced a session at the court to discuss a possible investigation into a Federal Police report that gathered messages between the justice and Daniel Vorcaro.
According to Lula, the Bolsonaro family's dispute with Moraes is not over Banco Master, but over the imprisonment of the family. He said the conflict stemmed from Moraes's conduct, which the president described as correct in defending Brazil's democracy.
The Supreme Federal Court is Brazil's highest constitutional court, while the Federal Police serves as the country's national investigative law enforcement agency.
Even so, Lula said anyone found to be in the wrong in the case will have to pay for the mistake they made. He said the public should be left to decide and the judiciary left to judge, adding that the Supreme Federal Court must be respected and that doing so is difficult without the respect of public opinion.
