The minister, from the (Supreme Federal Court), had his security reinforced after assuming the rapporteurship of the . The measure was adopted due to an internal analysis in the court, which identified an increased risk to his physical integrity.
Mendonça is also responsible for another inquiry with great repercussion and impact on the political world: the investigation into fraud in discounts for retirees and pensioners from the (National Social Security Institute).
According to advisors and people close to the court heard by the Sheetthe technical analysis that led to the increase in the minister’s security means, in practice, a greater number of police officers involved and a more overt presence of agents in certain activities. It also includes the use of various equipment and careful monitoring of any threats that may arise.
Advisors observed the change in dynamics around Mendonça in the court, in the (Superior Electoral Court), of which he is vice-president and in other commitments. According to them, the justification for the security reinforcement were occurrences that raised fears, especially since the beginning of the year. These situations were not detailed in the report.
The new security approach involves both the Judicial Police Secretariat and the presidency of the STF, under the command of Edson Fachin. Internal management has the last word on changes across all teams. In this case, the office team is also involved to make the change possible.
When contacted, the court and the minister’s office did not officially comment.
Mendonça decreed in March the second arrest of Daniel Vorcaro, who was the owner of Master, after the Federal Police found messages on the former banker’s cell phone that cited a private militia maintained by him, called “A Turma”, with the aim of coercing and threatening his enemies.
In addition to being a minister, the judge is a professor at Mackenzie University, a visitor at the University of Salamanca, in Spain, and founder of the Iter Institute, specialized in legal content. He is also a pastor at the Presbyterian Church of Pinheiros, in São Paulo.
In all of these activities, the magistrate is now accompanied by security agents appointed by the Supreme Court, including undercover employees even when preaching.
All court ministers have constant monitoring. However, depending on each person’s profile, the measures relating to them are studied and reviewed periodically, based on new information and the evolution of the risk scenario.
The INSS and Master cases are, today, two of the most controversial in progress, as they involve parliamentarians and other authorities with jurisdiction in , including members of the court.
In , the ando about one of the president’s sons (PT) reinforced, among centrão politicians, the perception that Mendonça will have .
The magistrate was appointed after the departure of , agreed in a meeting with all ministers on February 12, after his connections with the bank were revealed.
Mendonça also replaced Toffoli in the INSS fraud cases, on August 25th. In this case, Toffoli asked the then president of the court, , to define the issue after the attorney general of the Republic, , contested the minister’s report and asked for the case to be redistributed by lot.
Toffoli had determined in June that all Federal Police investigations on the subject be sent to his office. He was also the one who initially brought the material previously gathered about the Master to the Supreme Court, at the beginning of last December.
Still in February, Mendonça expanded the PF’s autonomy in the Master case and restored the normal flow of expertise, reviewing a previous determination by Toffoli that had designated only four experts to access the seized materials.
as to Sheet showed, the minister has also fragmented investigations to avoid leaks within himself and by lawyers from different parties.
In public speeches, he has preached discretion and austerity in the conduct of the processes he conducts.
