The inclusion of Senator Jaques Wagner (PT-BA), leader of the government in the Senate, among the targets of the ninth phase of Operation Compliance Zero had repercussions in international press outlets, which highlighted the proximity of the investigations into the Master case with those surrounding President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).
The publications considered that the episode expands the institutional reach of the scandal and reinforces its potential to influence the October elections. This is the first phase of the operation that targets politicians allied with President Lula.
The agency Reuters classified the Master scandal as a “snowball” of corruption that increasingly affects more political actors and highlighted the long relationship between Lula and Wagner, which includes stints in ministries and the period in which the senator governed Bahia.
The news network Al Jazeerafrom Qatar, stated that bank fraud affected “both sides of the Brazilian political spectrum” and could influence the elections.
He also recalled the disclosure, by Intercept Brasilof audios in which senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), Lula’s main opponent in the presidential race, asks Daniel Vorcaro, owner of Master, for money to finance a film about the political trajectory of his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
In Argentina, the newspaper Clarion highlighted that the presence of Jaques Wagner among those investigated brings the scandal closer to the federal government at a time when the president is seeking re-election. “Lula, who admitted having met with Vorcaro in 2024, promised that the case would be investigated ‘until the last consequences’”, he says.
The newspaper recalled that the crisis originated after the liquidation of Banco Master and evolved into an investigation into links between Daniel Vorcaro and a series of authorities. He also highlighted the effects of the case on Flávio’s campaign, pointing out that the senator lost points in the polls after the revelations about the film’s financing.
A Bloomberg stated that the president’s allies began to publicly defend Jaques Wagner after the information about the operation was released. This was the case of the Minister of Finance, Dario Durigan, and the national president of the PT, Edinho Silva.
According to the report, they recognize greater difficulty in associating the scandal exclusively with political opponents after the investigation began to involve figures linked to the government.
Continues after advertising
The Associated Press agency highlighted that the investigations into Master and Vorcaro’s relationships have “affected several Brazilian politicians just a few months before the general elections in October.”
The ninth phase of Operation Compliance Zero had Jaques Wagner as the main target of search and seizure. The PF suspects that he received a property worth R$2.5 million and bribe payments totaling R$3.5 million, through a company linked to one of his family members.
The senator’s office released a statement stating that he did not act in favor of the Master and is at the disposal of the authorities. “The parliamentarian calmly monitors the progress of the investigations and maintains confidence in their conduct”, says an excerpt from the statement.
Continues after advertising
