It's a disgrace! It's a mockery! A complete absurdity! The news ( read the report ) that Daniel Vorcaro paid, through a fund, R$ 20 million to the Minister of the Supreme Federal Court, Dias Toffoli, for a stake in a hotel in the interior of Paraná, would be enough for any serious magistrate to recuse themselves from judging. But no. The owner of the robe, who, only now is known, was the owner of the Tayayá hotel ( read the report ), says he will continue to lead the process. And to hell with society.
According to forensic analysis by the Federal Police on Daniel Vorcaro's phone, Toffoli appears to be discussing money with the former banker who left a deficit of over R$ 50 billion ( read the report ) for the Credit Guarantee Fund. The owner of the liquidated Master bank, who is accused of a R$ 12 billion fraud against BRB ( read the report ), also appears talking to Fabiano Zettel, his brother-in-law and operator, about payments to Toffoli.
Only now does the absurd measures adopted by Toffoli throughout this process seem to make sense ( read Miriam Leitão's column ). The judge, who ascended to the Supreme Court after a "brilliant" career as a lawyer for the Workers' Party (PT), will judge a case in which he may appear as a possible suspect investigated by the Federal Police. And nobody, except for the Federal Police who sent the details ( read the report ) to the president of the Supreme Court, Edson Fachin, is taking any action about it.
Brazilians are so numb to all the outrageous things happening that they barely react. It's like the daily violence we see in the newspapers. Another murder victim? Another robbery? Another crime? Nothing out of the ordinary, life goes on. The banker paid the Supreme Court Justice for a stake in a hotel that nobody knew he owned? Oh! That's just how it is, nothing will come of it.
If it weren't for the Central Bank, the Federal Police, and the serious press, everything would have been swept under the rug. A high-ranking official recently said in a conversation with NeoFeed about the BRB scandal: "If it weren't for the professional press, they would have steamrolled it, and society would have had to swallow this scandal." They are still trying, from all sides, to make society swallow it.
The problem is that it became too indigestible, even for a nation numbed by successive scandals. A businessman with connections in Brasília told NeoFeed that Vorcaro changed the game. “In Lava Jato, the construction companies had politicians in their pocket,” he says. “Now, it’s different. He has connections with politicians of all stripes, especially from the Centrão, and has escalated those relationships to the Judiciary.”
Are you going to tell me that the purchase of a hotel in the interior of Paraná appeared as a good deal out of nowhere? That – My God! – coincidence of coincidences that it is owned by a Supreme Court Justice? Are you going to tell me that a contract of R$ 129 million ( read Malu Gaspar's report ) with a law firm belonging to the wife of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes is normal? However competent that firm may be, the amount is far beyond what is practiced in the market.
News reports indicate that Federal Police investigators found compromising conversations between Vorcaro and people from all branches of government dating back to 2022 ( read Daniel Rittner's report ). Another businessman, also with connections in Brasília, says that Vorcaro was certain of impunity because he was well-connected throughout the government. In his testimony to the Federal Police at the end of last year, he said he had "friends in all branches of government." Vorcaro even had an off-the-record meeting with President Lula.
His back, it seems, is still hot. The Federal Police say he tried to flee ( read the report ). He was arrested and released a week later. The Federal Police are investigating payments to influencers hired by Master ( read the report ) to undermine the credibility of the Central Bank, especially former director Renato Gomes, who blocked the purchase of the bank by BRB ( read the report ). Note: this happened while Vorcaro was already wearing an electronic ankle monitor.
He's still out there, having his breakfast, eating his Minas Gerais cheese bread in the comfort of his home and, of course, keeping up with the news from the sofa. But, as we're used to, nothing surprises us anymore. It's just another scandal in line. And so, Brazil goes on. Where to, nobody knows.
