(FOLHAPRESS) - The choice of minister André Mendonça, of the STF (Supreme Federal Court), as rapporteur of the investigations into the "Dark Horse" case places the magistrate as a key player in the clash between former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, with whom he is a friend, and senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), with whom he does not have a close relationship.
Mendonça becomes a key player in the clash between Flávio and Michelle with the report on the 'Dark Horse' case
(FOLHAPRESS) - The choice of minister André Mendonça, of the STF (Supreme Federal Court), as rapporteur of the investigations into the "Dark Horse" case places the magistrate as a key player in the clash between former...
The investigation to investigate the transfers made by businessman Daniel Vorcaro, owner of Banco Master, to the film has not yet been formally opened, but Mendonça told assistants that he will not ease up on Flávio if he sees enough elements to authorize a police operation - which could give ammunition to Michelle in the discredit campaign against her stepson.
Flávio's allies have expressed distrust of a possible coordinated action by Mendonça with Michelle to harm the senator. The minister, however, tells people around him that his decisions will always be based on the evidence gathered in the files by the PF (Federal Police), regardless of ideologies or personal preferences.
Michelle and Flávio are engaged in a public fight arising from differences over PL alliances in the elections for the Government of Ceará. The friction peaked on June 24, when she published videos on social media in which she accused the senator of disrespecting and mistreating her.
Allies of Jair Bolsonaro's eldest son claim that the former first lady has been working to undermine Flávio's pre-candidacy, signaling that she knows information capable of damaging her stepson's reputation. According to three court magistrates, any decisions by Mendonça against the senator could reinforce this narrative.
Two of these ministers estimate that this will be Mendonça's biggest test since he took office in 2021 - indicated, in fact, by then-president Bolsonaro. For these members of the court, the rapporteur's proximity to the family places the rigor he promised to adopt in the Master's cases under public scrutiny.
To interlocutors, the rapporteur says that he does not have any type of close relationship with Flávio that could call his impartiality into question, at the same time that he admits his friendship with Michelle. Despite this, Mendonça rejects the possibility that family friction could interfere, in some way, with his court orders.
The fraternal relationship with Michelle began at the beginning of the Bolsonaro government, when he was attorney general of the Union. Evangelicals, both became close due to religion. The then first lady played a fundamental role in appointing the minister to the Supreme Court. Flávio, for example, defended the name of former attorney general Augusto Aras for the vacancy.
The initiation of an investigation against Flávio at the STF still depends on a formal request from the PGR (Attorney General's Office). Last week, Mendonça requested the body's opinion on the direction of the investigation request made by federal deputy Lindbergh Farias (PT-RJ), but the statement does not have a defined deadline for being sent.
Flávio asked Vorcaro for money to finance the film that tells the story of his father. The former banker paid R$61 million for the production of "Dark Horse", but an audio released by the website The Intercept Brasil shows the senator demanding more resources to finish the feature film.
The suspicion is that the amounts originate from financial fraud perpetrated by the Master and which led to Vorcaro's preventive arrest. Furthermore, the PF suspects that the money was used to finance the expenses of former deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) in the United States, as Folha showed.
Flávio and Eduardo deny irregularities. The senator said that he only dealt with Vorcaro to raise funds to make the film and that he withheld this information from allies due to a confidentiality clause in the contract. The former deputy stated that the PF's suspicion of him is "crude".
Mendonça's assistants already admit that the Master's investigations and their developments will invade the electoral campaign period and inevitably lead the minister to make decisions that have the potential to change the political chessboard. Deputies and senators also attribute a decisive role to the magistrate in the October election.
PGR asks that Flávio Bolsonaro be heard for slander against Lula
The Attorney General of the Republic, Paulo Gonet, cited criminal legislation and said that Flávio can retract his statements, a possibility that could exempt him from eventual conviction
Source: Noticias ao Minuto - Ultima Hora
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