Minister Alexandre de Moraes, from , ordered on Wednesday (April 8, 2026) that the Federal Police return the equipment seized from the journalist, who publishes the . He is the target of investigation for the alleged crime of persecution against Court Minister Flávio Dino.
Moraes’ decision responds to a request from the journalist’s defense, after a favorable statement from the Attorney General’s Office.
According to the decision, the refund is possible because the PF has already extracted data from cell phones, notebooks and hard drives. As a result, the items are no longer considered necessary for the ongoing investigation.
The STF minister ordered that the equipment be removed by the journalist within 30 days. If this does not happen, Moraes authorized the destruction of the materials.
UNDERSTAND THE CASE
Journalist Luís Pablo published a report in November 2025 in which he said that a car financed by was used by Dino and his family in Maranhão. According to the publication, the Toyota SW4 vehicle was intended for official use by judges on private trips. The report is no longer on air.
In the decision that authorized the PF operation, Moraes considered that Luís Pablo was “illegal monitoring of minister Flávio Dino’s security”. Let’s go (PDF – 9 MB).
According to the Court, institutional security was notified that the journalist published license plates of vehicles used by Dino, the number and names of the security agents who worked with him and other private details of the Supreme Minister’s life.
Moraes states that the PF named the journalist as a suspect in the crime of persecution. According to the Minister of the Court, Luís Pablo would have used “of some state mechanism for the identification and characterization of the vehicles used, which allowed undue exposure related to the security of authorities”.
The magistrate transcribes an excerpt from a PF representation in which he says that the journalist has already been the target of investigations that place him “as a suspect in extortion for not disclosing information about police operations”. He also ordered the hearing of “other agents with whom those being investigated have interacted through incitement and/or co-option to commit the crimes under investigation”. The analysis of the seized electronic material was determined.
The OAB (Brazilian Bar Association) of Maranhão stated that the action ordered by the Supreme Court causes “institutional concern”. In a statement signed by the Freedom of Expression and Press Commission, the body mentions the “preservation of source secrecy and protection of the free professional exercise of the activity”.
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