The Banco Master case gained significant national attention by directly involving Supreme Court Justice Dias Toffoli
It all began with the discovery of serious financial irregularities at the institution, which resulted in intervention and subsequent extrajudicial liquidation by the Central Bank in November 2025. The Federal Police, through Operation Compliance Zero, investigated alleged frauds amounting to billions of reais, including the creation of credit portfolios without adequate backing and the transfer of problematic assets to other banks, such as Banco de BrasÃlia (BRB).
During the searches and seizures carried out at the residence and offices of banker Daniel Vorcaro, owner of Banco Master, experts found messages on cell phones that mention Toffoli’s name.
According to reports published by outlets such as CNN Brazil, Folha de S.Paulo, O Globo, and Valor Econômico, these conversations cover a variety of topics: from invitations to events and personal contacts to references to possible financial transfers, payments, and connections with companies linked to the minister or his family.
One of the most sensitive points involves an investment fund associated with Banco Master that held a stake in a resort called Tayayá.
Toffoli’s family members, including his siblings, appear as partners in this venture.
Seized messages suggest that some of the money involved originated from a company called Maridt, linked to the sale of shares in the same resort.
This information fueled suspicions of conflicts of interest and possible favoritism.
Toffoli assumed the role of rapporteur for the inquiry at the Supreme Court after ordering the centralization of the case in the Court in December 2025. He imposed extreme secrecy on the process, authorized the freezing of assets, temporary arrests, and ordered investigations such as hearings and confrontations between Vorcaro and others involved, including former executives of BRB and the Central Bank itself.
Some of his decisions, however, generated criticism, especially for the initial scope of the confrontations and the subsequent referral of parts of the process to lower courts.
In February 2026, the Federal Police sent a report to the president of the STF, Minister Edson Fachin, requesting that Toffoli be declared ineligible to continue as rapporteur.
The document points out that the messages found on Vorcaro’s devices would indicate a compromise of the minister’s impartiality, and could even constitute instances foreseen by law for crimes committed by a magistrate.
Toffoli’s office responded by classifying the allegations as “baseless inferences” and stated that the Federal Police lack the legitimacy for this type of request.
The minister promised to present a formal statement to the president of the Court.
The episode has been widely debated in the press and on social media, with analyses ranging from defenses of transparency and the need for independent investigation to questions about the relationship between the Judiciary, politics, and the financial system.
Daniel Vorcaro, known for maintaining a wide circle of contacts among businessmen and public figures, has become a central figure in this plot that exposes possible power connections and economic interests.
To date, the process continues to proceed in the Supreme Court without a definitive decision on Toffoli’s role as rapporteur.
New expert reports and revelations may emerge at any moment, keeping the case as one of the most sensitive in the current Brazilian legal and political landscape.
This development reinforces the importance of effective oversight mechanisms in the financial system and guarantees of impartiality in the Judiciary, especially when billions of dollars and public trust in institutions are at stake.
Published in 02/12/2026 19h43
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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