Brazil: Delegates’ Association Asks Top Prosecutor to Step Aside
BRAZIL · JUSTICE
Key Facts
—What happened: The delegates’ association asked Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet to step aside from the Banco Master case.
—How big it is: The association says it speaks for more than 2,300 Federal Police delegates.
—What it means: Gonet is reviewing a police report that also mentions him in messages.
—The catch: Gonet has not formally responded to the recusal demand as of September 6.
—Who it hits: The case involves Supreme Court justices and former banker Daniel Vorcaro.
—What comes next: Gonet must decide whether to step aside or face growing pressure from police.
The association representing Brazil’s federal police delegates wants Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet to recuse himself from the Banco Master case.
The demand from police delegates
The Associacao Nacional dos Delegados de Policia Federal (ADPF) says it represents more than 2,300 federal police delegates. It published a note on September 5, 2026, expressing ‘indignation and concern’ over a procedure opened by Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
Gonet opened the procedure on the night of Friday 4 September. He used the prosecution service’s constitutional power of external control over police activity.
The procedure examines possible outside interference in the Federal Police report on Vorcaro’s contacts with Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
The delegates’ association makes three explicit demands. First, Gonet should declare himself barred from acting, and take no step in any case that names him.
Second, the procedure he instituted must be archived. The association argues it is an inadequate route to challenge a Supreme Court decision.
Third, everything found in Operation Compliance Zero must be investigated in full, “without selectivity as to the authorities involved.” That was the police raid that seized Vorcaro’s phone.
The delegates’ association is a professional body. It speaks for delegates, not for the Federal Police as an institution.
Who is Paulo Gonet
Paulo Gonet is Brazil’s Prosecutor-General, the head of the federal prosecution service, known as the Procuradoria-Geral da Republica (PGR). He brings federal cases before the Supreme Court.
The prosecution service also holds a constitutional power to review police conduct. That is what Gonet invoked here.
Gonet has asked the Supreme Court to annul the investigation that produced the report. He argues that an order to police to investigate named individuals, without a request from prosecutors and without police initiative, is null.
He has also ended talks on a new cooperation deal with Vorcaro. That is the Brazilian equivalent of turning state’s evidence.
Gonet rejected a second proposal because Vorcaro did not present new facts or sufficient proof.
O Globo and Folha de S.Paulo report that messages from Vorcaro’s phone describe attempts to draw Gonet into a prosecutors’ council election.
O Globo and Folha both note there is no sign of a crime.
The police report at the center of the dispute
Moraes used a separate internal Federal Police document to ask for an investigation of Mendonca. The police itself classifies that document as “sem valor probatorio” — without evidential value — according to Folha de S.Paulo.
A CBN report, citing Federal Police characterizations, states that the document has no decisional character and no probative value. It lacks official PF letterhead, does not bear a responsible delegate’s signature, and compiles information from unidentified sources.
Its authors rate parts of it as of “low to moderate” reliability. They say backing documents are missing.
The document says of itself that it has no probative value, according to Folha de S.Paulo. Mendonca’s allies use that to attack the basis of Moraes’s request.
Why Gonet is seen as conflicted
The delegates’ association argues that Gonet cannot supervise a case in which he is personally cited. Messages taken from Vorcaro’s phone mention Gonet, including a note about cigars and whisky, according to O Globo.
O Globo and Folha de S.Paulo report there is no indication of any crime in those messages. Gonet has not addressed their content publicly.
O Globo reports that some federal prosecutors privately see grounds for him to declare himself conflicted in the Banco Master case. These are internal conversations, not a formal public note.
Being named in seized material does not automatically bar a prosecutor under Brazilian law. Impediment and suspicion have defined statutory grounds, and it is Gonet himself who decides in the first instance whether he is barred.
The broader context: Banco Master and Operation Compliance Zero
Banco Master is a Brazilian bank at the center of a major investigation known as Operation Compliance Zero. The operation seized material, including messages from former banker Daniel Vorcaro, that exposed interactions with high-ranking officials.
The messages between Vorcaro and a contact the police believe is Justice Alexandre de Moraes are at the heart of the dispute. Justice Andre Mendonca ordered the Federal Police to produce a report on these messages.
That order led to the internal document now under scrutiny. The case has become a political and judicial battle involving the Supreme Court, the Prosecutor-General’s office, and the Federal Police.
It highlights tensions between institutions over the use of intelligence reports in judicial proceedings. The delegates’ association’s demand is part of a broader effort to defend the Federal Police’s institutional role.
What happens next
As of September 6, 2026, Paulo Gonet has not formally responded to the delegates’ association’s demand that he step aside. The PGR press office did not comment when the association’s note was published, and has not commented since.
Gonet must decide whether to step aside and archive the procedure, or to carry on. The internal debate among prosecutors about Gonet’s possible conflict of interest may also intensify.
Some prosecutors see reasons for him to step aside, but there is no formal move yet.
Gonet is one of four officials named in Peticao 16.704. Chief Justice Edson Fachin ordered them on 3 September to reply in writing within five business days.
The Supreme Court may still rule on the police report. Gonet has formally asked the court to annul the investigation that produced it.
The bottom line
The delegates’ association’s demand for Gonet to step aside is a significant development in the Banco Master case. It highlights the deep divisions between Brazil’s law enforcement and prosecution bodies.
The document Moraes relied on is described by the Federal Police as having no probative value. Mendonca’s allies say that undercuts the basis of Moraes’s request; Moraes has not responded publicly to that characterisation.
Gonet’s response, or lack of one, will be crucial. If he stays on the case, pressure from delegates and from some prosecutors is likely to continue.
For foreign readers, the case tests Brazil’s institutional checks. It also tests if a police document, deemed valueless by the force, can drive a case against a judge.
Gonet has not answered. Until he does, the situation remains fluid.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ADPF?
The ADPF is the Associacao Nacional dos Delegados de Policia Federal, the national association of Federal Police delegates in Brazil. The association says it represents more than 2,300 delegates and advocates for the institutional role of the Federal Police.
Why do police delegates want Gonet to step aside?
The association argues that Gonet cannot supervise a case in which he is personally cited. His name appears in messages from the former banker Daniel Vorcaro.
What is the police report about?
It is an internal Federal Police document. It sets out messages between Vorcaro and a contact the police believe is Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
Has Gonet responded to the demand?
As of September 6, 2026, there is no confirmed formal response from Gonet to the delegates’ association’s demand. He has not publicly addressed the recusal request.
What is Operation Compliance Zero?
Operation Compliance Zero is a police operation that seized material, including messages from Vorcaro, leading to the investigation. The delegates’ association wants the facts uncovered by this operation to be fully investigated without selectivity.
Connected Coverage
We have also reported on Brazil’s Paulo Gonet Asks the Supreme Court to Void a Report Naming Him, and on Brazil Shuts Down Two Firms Tied to Banco Master Founder.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
Read More from The Rio Times