Investigators agree to reopen negotiations with Vorcaro, but demand full charges and assets abroad

The main requirement is that there is a change in Vorcaro's stance in relation to the two previous attempts: that he does not lie and gives a complete account of the scheme, without selective revelations.

Members of the case teams told Folha, with reservations, that the former banker needs to be clearer about the severity of the situation he faces. Appointed as the leader of the alleged criminal organization that embezzled resources from Banco Master, he must deliver a good amount of information about relevant people and, above all, the paths to recovering all the missing money.

In the two previous attempts, Vorcaro left the impression that he acted in bad faith and that he tried to make fools of the authorities, in the words of two interlocutors interviewed. This is because he would have reported facts already known to the investigators or tried to elude details.

One of the episodes that aroused the most irritation in the investigation was the narrative about the president of the PP, senator Ciro Nogueira (PI), whom Vorcaro treated as a "great lifelong friend" in an exchange of messages with his ex-girlfriend Martha Graeff.

The investigation itself would have already advanced in the case and identified a closeness that goes beyond friendship between the former banker and the parliamentarian. According to the findings, an assistant to Vorcaro at Master wrote the text of the legislative project known as the "Master amendment" and sent it to the senator, who presented it, without changes, in the plenary. The Federal Police points out that Vorcaro, in another dialogue intercepted on WhatsApp, said that the legislative act "came out exactly" as he had ordered.

The project was of interest to Master because it aimed to expand FGC (Credit Guarantee Fund) coverage from R$250,000 to R$1 million per depositor. Thus, investors in the CDBs (Bank Deposit Certificates) that the institution sold could put more money in the bank. Investigators therefore assess that part of the reports on the topic, including the insistence on a friendly relationship between the two, were not true. Thus, one of the criteria for negotiating again would be for Vorcaro not to lie again, in the words of one of those involved.

The possibility of the ex-banker trying to reach a new plea agreement was considered again two months after the second rejection and after yet another change in the ex-banker's defense team.

Lawyer Daniel Bialski joined Vorcaro's team last month. He started to work in criminal investigations together with lawyer Sérgio Leonardo, a friend of the former banker and in his defense since the beginning of Operation Compliance Zero.

Bialski stated in an interview with GloboNews that the owner of Banco Master "wants to talk and wants to collaborate" once again, "if necessary and if he has the opportunity". Interlocutors, however, have said that the initial conversations have dealt with broader themes of the process so far.

The new lawyer has already requested a hearing with the minister of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) André Mendonça, rapporteur of the case.

The minister's office rejects the possibility of dealing with a new attempt at a whistleblower. Mendonça has stated to those close to him that he is available to receive lawyers for the cases he is handling, but says that it is not up to him to talk about drafting a plea.

One of the possibilities is that demands revolve, for example, around an increase in visiting hours.

Vorcaro has been imprisoned in the prison unit known as Papudinha, in the Federal District, since June, after the Federal Police and the PGR (Attorney General's Office) rejected his second proposal for a plea bargain.

Before that, he was imprisoned at the DF Federal Police Superintendence, where he had more access to his lawyers. PF and PGR have not been contacted, to date, by the former banker's defense. Behind the scenes, the openness has been greater with the Federal Police than with the PGR.

One of the factors for the reopening of negotiations is the assessment that the repatriation of resources without Vorcaro's collaboration could greatly complicate and delay the process.

Without the whistleblower, the operation to recover the values becomes much more complex, very difficult or an obstacle course, according to investigators. A member of the negotiation team stated that the group knows that there is money sent abroad, but not details about where or how much, and this would be important information that it could bring to the table.

There is also the risk of losing resources through the traditional process - that is, waiting for the action to be processed, the eventual conviction of the former banker and the final judgment, in addition to the investigators finding the values on their own.

Those involved in conversations with Vorcaro have stated, however, that the investigation already has, autonomously, gathered a lot of material, in addition to that collected through operations.

They still say that the case is not even halfway done and, therefore, there are more elements to gather on your own. In this way, investigators have stated that they do not depend on the complaint to progress the case.

The interest in an award-winning collaboration occurs, in general, in accordance with the legislation, by identifying co-authors, locating evidence and also recovering assets - depending on the crime, there is also the location of victims.

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