Flavio Bolsonaro faces corruption probe before Brazil election
Brazil’s Supreme Court has unsealed documents revealing an investigation into alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion involving the presidential candidate and Banco Master’s former head.
Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro is under investigation over alleged ties to Daniel Vorcaro, the former head of failed lender Banco Master, weeks before the country’s 4 October presidential election.
The investigation was opened in July by Supreme Court Justice Andre Mendonca at the request of federal police, according to documents unsealed by Brazil’s Supreme Court. The probe is examining alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion. Flavio Bolsonaro has not been charged or found culpable, and parts of the case remain sealed.
Police are investigating alleged transfers of about US$12 million in 2025 to a United States-based fund linked to Eduardo Bolsonaro. Court records reportedly connect the money to a film portraying their father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, favourably. A screenshot in the records reportedly suggests Eduardo Bolsonaro advised Vorcaro on managing the funds.
Investigators are seeking to establish the origin of the money, the companies involved and its ultimate beneficiaries. Eduardo Bolsonaro rejects the characterisation of the transfers as bribes, while Flavio Bolsonaro says he was seeking private investment for his father’s film.
Vorcaro was arrested in March over alleged bank fraud valued by federal police at roughly US$2.3 billion, affecting about 800,000 clients. Alleged links between him and Flavio Bolsonaro had previously emerged through leaked messages published in May.
Both Flavio Bolsonaro and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have called for transparency and a full investigation. The election is expected to proceed to a run-off, according to pre-election polling cited in the source material, while the wider significance of the unsealed documents remains unclear.
