Strangely, the justification given for Toffoli’s departure was not one of impediment or suspicion, but of preserving the institutions
Even in the public interest, the Federal Supreme Court met behind closed doors to discuss the future of Dias Toffoli in front of the Master bank’s rapporteur. The decision of the collegiate was to remove the minister from the rapporteur in order to stop the bleeding within the Supreme Court.
Strangely, the justification given for Toffoli’s departure was not one of impediment or suspicion, but of preserving the institutions. At the very least, the explanation is curious, because, if there was no conflict of interest, then why did the minister have to leave?
As expected, the ministers acted in a corporate manner in order to preserve the minister, preventing the crisis from further tarnishing the STF’s reputation and affecting other officials.
However, even though the Supreme Court judges are the most powerful people in the Republic, there are uncontrollable and imponderable factors.
The first is that the rapporteur fell precisely into the hands of the “terribly evangelical”, André Mendonça. The minister appointed by Bolsonaro has already differed on important issues with Alexandre de Moraes and Gilmar Mendes. Apparently, Mendonça is not the type to act corporately in order to protect his peers.
With this scenario, the situation could get complicated for Alexandre de Moraes. According to journalist Malu Gaspar, there are a series of exchanges of messages between Moraes and Vorcaro, including about payments to the minister’s wife.
It is hasty to believe that the Federal Police (PF) will act to protect Moraes. First, because the corporation is independent. Secondly, because the corporation is made up of different areas, and there are sectors that are dissatisfied with the STF’s conduct. To make matters worse, the website Poder 360 made public excerpts from yesterday’s meeting of STF ministers, showing their dissatisfaction with the PF.
The fact that the mainstream media and public opinion are in favor of the corporation and against the ministers in this case also weighs heavily in favor of the PF.
The Master case could have consequences similar to the Lava Jato operation, including in defining the electoral scenario. Scandals of this magnitude tend to negatively affect the current government. No wonder, Lula was one of those most interested in Toffoli’s departure from the rapporteur. The problem is that he left too late, and the situation is out of control and with unpredictable effects.
*This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Jovem Pan.
