Investigation targets Credcesta accreditation in Mato Grosso; former governor denies wrongdoing
The STJ (Superior Court of Justice) opened an investigation against the former governor of Mato Grosso (União Brasil) on suspicion of irregularities and possible favoritism in the accreditation of Credcesta, a payroll loan program offered to state public employees.
The investigation was opened at the request of the (Attorney General’s Office) and is being processed under secrecy at the STJ, according to the newspaper The Globe. O Poder360 He approached the court to ask about the proceedings, the report and the judging body of the case. The STJ informed that, as this is a confidential procedure, this data is not available for public consultation.
UNDERSTAND THE CASE
Mendes left the government of Mato Grosso on March 31 to run for a seat in the Senate. With his resignation, the then vice-governor (Republicans) took over the state executive.
The case targets Banco Master’s accreditation process to operate Credcesta in Mato Grosso. On May 5, 2023, Mauro Mendes signed a decree that created an exclusive consignable margin of 10% for benefit cards intended for state employees and pensioners. Read (PDF — 127 kB).
The decree included among the optional assignments those “carried out by the entities managing benefit-contributed cards up to a limit of 10% (ten percent), with the contracting of a maximum of 2 cards per consignee being restricted”.
Three days later, on May 8, Banco Master requested authorization to operate the program in the State. The following day, the process was opened in the state administration and the government issued a favorable opinion on accreditation.
The ordinance that formalized the authorization for Banco Master to operate in Mato Grosso was published on June 1, 2023, valid until May 2028.
I BELIEVE
Credcesta returned to the center of investigations into Banco Master after the outbreak of , which affected the senator (PT-BA) and managers linked to the bank.
The program model is investigated in different States. In Mato Grosso, unions question the operation of consigned loans in court. An administrative decision from the (Secretariat of State for Planning and Management), published in Official Gazette on January 14, 2026, he stated that there were signs of irregularities in credit card and benefit card contracts. According to the decision, 67.29% of contracts in these types of contracts had been subject to requests for review by employees.
The office that represents the categories states that more than 15,000 people had problems with Credcesta in the State, including over-indebtedness and contracts considered unclear.
In March, former governor Pedro Taques, who works as a union lawyer, said that Banco Master had commanded a network of financial institutions that operated payroll loans in the State. He stated that 45,000 employees in Mato Grosso had contracts with companies he called “satellites” connected to the Master.
Taques also said that the case should be investigated due to suspicions of fraud, abusive interest charging and possible actions by institutions without authorization from the Central Bank.
The STJ investigation expands the scope of the Master case on state governments. In addition to Mato Grosso, investigations involving the bank have already reached Rio de Janeiro and Bahia.
OTHER SIDE
O Poder360 He contacted Mauro Mendes to ask if he would like to comment on the investigation at the STJ, the accreditation of Banco Master in Mato Grosso and the suspected irregularities in the process, but did not receive a response until the publication of this report. This text will be updated as soon as any comments are received.
To the newspaper The Globethe former governor denied irregularities. Mendes stated that the acts of his management followed legality and that Banco Master was one of 24 accredited financial institutions in the State.
