Brazil’s top court suspends rival rulings as election tensions rise

Brazil’s Supreme Court president, Edson Fachin, has suspended conflicting rulings by Justices Andre Mendonca and Flavio Dino in a dispute that has drawn the federal police into the court’s internal divisions.

Fachin gave federal police chief Andrei Rodrigues 48 hours to provide information before deciding whether he should remain in office. Mendonca had suspended Rodrigues after accusing police of spying on him, while Dino later reinstated the chief.

The dispute centres on alleged communications between Justice Alexandre de Moraes and Daniel Vorcaro, the banker accused of fraud whose Banco Master collapsed amid a major financial scandal. Mendonca ordered the publication of messages allegedly sent by Vorcaro to Moraes, but the relationship and significance of the messages remain disputed.

Moraes has previously led investigations into alleged coup activities involving former president Jair Bolsonaro. The controversy has intensified ahead of next month’s presidential election, in which Bolsonaro’s son, Flavio Bolsonaro, is seeking to challenge President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Lula has called for greater transparency and an end to selective leaks affecting the electoral contest. Business groups have described the situation as an extremely serious institutional crisis, warning that doubts about the judges could undermine confidence in legal certainty and public institutions.

Fachin’s intervention leaves the question of Rodrigues’ position unresolved. The allegations of police surveillance, influence-seeking payments and judicial misconduct have not been established as facts.