Minister accompanied this Friday (20) the case’s rapporteur, André Mendonça; owner of Banco Master is arrested at the PF Superintendency, in Brasília
Unanimously, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) decided maintain preventive detention by Daniel Vorcaro, owner of Banco Master. The 4-0 result was confirmed this Friday (20), with the vote of minister Gilmar Mendeswhich followed the position of the case rapporteurminister André Mendonça, to keep the businessman detained.
Despite voting for the continuation of the prison, minister Gilmar Mendes made considerations. He stated that the Justice should not arrest anyone to give “answers to society” or respond to the “popular outcry”but yes when there are technical reasons. In the case of Vorcaro, the minister understood that arrest is necessary to ensure that investigations are not hindered and that the law is fulfilled.
As the businessman was under house arrest, the STF needed to analyze new facts to authorize his return to common prison. Among the evidence presented are:
- Concealment of money: The blocking of large amounts in a bank account belonging to Vorcaro’s father, which suggests an attempt to hide assets;
- “DV Project”: An alleged scheme that hired digital influencers to manipulate public opinion, defending Banco Master and attacking bodies such as the Central Bank and the Federal Audit Court (TCU);
- Insider information: Cell phone messages indicated that the businessman had contacts with Central Bank servers to obtain confidential information about Federal Police investigations;
- Cyber crimes: Evidence that the group he led was seeking to illegally access confidential investigation data.
Criticism of ‘Lava Jato’
In his vote, Gilmar Mendes criticized what he called “media frenzy”. He compared tactics used in this process with abuses committed during Operation Lava Jato.
The minister condemned the leak of photos of the businessman wearing a prison uniform ea exhibition of intimate conversations that were unrelated to the crimes investigated. Furthermore, Gilmar criticized the press access to dialogues protected by law between the defendant and his lawyer.
Furthermore, the minister also criticized Vorcaro’s transfer to the Brasília Federal Penitentiary, a maximum security prison. According to him, this measure was illegal e without technical justificationserving only to label the person being investigated as dangerous even before a trial. Shortly afterwards, the Court itself recognized the error and ordered the businessman to leave that unit.
