Gonet Keeps Banco Master Role, but Narrow Vote Leaves Questions

Gonet Keeps Banco Master Role, but Narrow Vote Leaves Questions
Brazil’s Superior Council of the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office unanimously declined to remove Attorney General Paulo Gonet from Banco Master-related proceedings, while rejecting a request to investigate him by five votes to four. The dispute stems from messages found by federal police on former banker Daniel Vorcaro’s phone, alongside a photograph of Gonet and Vorcaro at a 2024 London event.

Those opposing an inquiry argued that the available material did not establish either a close personal relationship or conduct benefiting Vorcaro. Hindenburgo Chateaubriand said there was “absolutely nothing” to suggest an intimate friendship between the two men, while Gonet has described his contact with Vorcaro as “brief and banal.” Nicolao Dino similarly said the council should assess possible criminal conduct rather than social distance or the “ceremonial standards of office.”

Dino’s decisive vote framed the London encounter as insufficient on its own: prosecutors could not be expected in 2024 to foresee that Vorcaro would later become central to a major criminal case. He said he found no subsequent act by Gonet that indicated an effort to favor Vorcaro or hinder the investigation. The council also unanimously concluded it lacked legal authority to remove Gonet from the case.

The dissenting members did not all present the issue in identical terms. Ana Borges argued that Gonet’s request to the Supreme Court to nullify a police report mentioning him could, in principle, justify examining whether there was misconduct. Janice Ascari said the information available required clarification of specific, verifiable questions, including contacts and potential expenses connected to the London event.

Reporting focused on the internal reaction stresses the contrast between the formal outcome and its political effect. Allies view the ruling as institutionally closing the matter; critics say four votes for further scrutiny show that distrust within parts of the prosecutorial service is likely to endure.

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